Going the Distance
by Skye Coulson
Summary: Previous Gibbs/Jai. Future Tony/Gibbs. Partial crossover. MPREG! Gibbs learns that his lover has been killed on the heels of learning that he was pregnant. Tony's there to help pick up the pieces. I love mpreg stories with Gibbs as the "Baby Mama" so I thought I'd try my hand at one. R&R!
1. Death Is In Love With Us

**Going the Distance**

 **Disclaimer:  
** As always, I own nothing save for the ideas expressed in this story. I have also changed _Covert Affairs_ 's Annie **Walker** to Annie **Gibbs** for the purposes of this story.

 **Rating:  
** M (for … well … sex …)

 **Genre:  
** Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family (with a kiss of angst)

 **Pairing:  
** Augnie (Auggie/Annie)  
Tibbs (Tony/Gibbs)  
Jibbs (Jai Wilcox/Leroy Jethro Gibbs)

 **Lyrics Used:  
** HIM "Death Is In Love With Us"

* * *

Death Is In Love With Us

* * *

 _I know it hurts too much | I know that you're scared | I know you're running out of trust | Wishing you were dead_

 _In your misery | You're not alone | So come share your tears with me | And, witness it all go wrong_

 _I know it and I feel it | Just as well as you do, Honey | It's not our fault if death's in love with us oh oh | It's not our fault if the reaper holds our hearts_

* * *

Annie Gibbs' ears were still ringing as she stood uncomfortably at her brother's door – the door to the home he shared with his life partner, Jai Wilcox. She had no idea how she was supposed to tell her brother that the man that he loved was dead. As she replayed the events that had transpired, that afternoon, she couldn't help noticing the resemblance to the death of Gibbs' first wife. _It's Shannon all over again …_ She thought to herself, before drawing a deep breath and summoning the courage to knock on the front door.

Upon hearing the knock at his front door, Leroy Jethro Gibbs was instantly on edge. He'd begun to worry when his partner hadn't returned home from work. Gibbs knew that Jai wasn't on any sort of op – Jai always called or texted to let him know he'd be away for a while with the promise to be in touch ASAP. So, he should have been home for dinner. And, when he wasn't, Gibbs began to worry. And, when he heard the tentative knock on his front door, he couldn't deny that he'd begun to panic. It couldn't be Jai – Jai _lived_ there. There was no reason for him to knock. That meant it could only be one thing – as much as Gibbs prayed to whatever deity may have been listening that he was wrong. Finally, he opened the door to see his baby sister, Annie, standing before him. Knowing that Jai and Annie worked together, Gibbs couldn't deny it any more. She could only be there with bad news about Jai.

"Hey, Leroy." Annie offered, lamely. She was trying to keep her voice light, but, Gibbs had always been able to see right through her.

"What're ya doin' here, Annie?" Gibbs whispered, his voice quiet and tight with fear as he clung to the door for support – feeling his knees trembling.

"What?" Annie offered, feigning an innocent, light-hearted, tone as she spoke. "A girl can't just come see her older brother?" She offered, knowing Gibbs would see right through her bull – just as he always did. "Maybe I just missed y-"

"Cut the crap, Annie!" Gibbs snapped, his voice cracking and hitching audibly as he braced himself for the blow.

Sighing, heavily, Annie gave up the charade. "All right, I will." She finally conceded. "But, not here … Can I come in?"

One look in Annie's eyes and Gibbs knew this wasn't the type of conversation he wanted to have, here, standing in his front doorway. Reluctantly, he stepped aside for Annie to enter his home. Once they'd made their way into the living room, Annie lowered herself onto the couch as Gibbs lowered himself down onto the cushion next to her. As he did, he couldn't help noticing the way she was wringing her hands, nervously. "What're ya doin', here, Annie?" Gibbs repeated, quietly … For the first time in a long time … Leroy Jethro Gibbs was scared.

Annie remained silent a moment longer as she searched for the right words for what she had to say. _Funny thing happened, at work, today, Leroy! You're really gonna laugh! Your boyfriend got blown up by a bomb planted in his car! Isn't that a riot?!_ But, she just couldn't find an easy way to deliver her news, so, she just opted for straight honesty. She knew Gibbs would rather she just be open and honest with him as opposed to beating around the bush. Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she'd taken, Annie began to recall the events of the day. "Jai left a note on my desk, at work, today … Asking me to meet him at the Vesta diner, just on the outskirts of town. … " She began, carefully. "When, he got there … And, I asked him why we couldn't discuss whatever it was he wanted to talk to me about at Langley, he told me it was because what he wanted to say was _about_ Langley."

Gibbs was confused, but, trusted that his sister would get to the point of why this had to do with Jai not being home. "What was it?" He asked, curiously, hoping it would distract him from his worry about his lover. So, far … It wasn't working.

"He never told me." Annie pointed out, taking her brother's confused countenance as a cue to elaborate. This was the part of the conversation she'd been dreading. "He said he didn't wanna discuss it, there, and said that he'd drive. … We got up and I started to follow him to his car and the waitress told me that I'd forgotten my umbrella at the table. I went back to get it, and, the next thing I knew, I was being knocked down by a wall of heat and covered in the shards of the shattered window."

Gibbs would have sworn he'd felt his heart actually stop beating inside his chest. _No … No, this can't be happening …_ Gibbs told himself. Even though, he'd known something like this could happen – hell, it was an occupational hazard in both their professions – but, that still didn't mean he was prepared to actually _hear_ it. And, the timing couldn't have been worse. Just that morning, Gibbs had been given the greatest news he'd gotten in a **_long_** time.

* * *

" _Jethro!" The doctor greeted him. "What can I do for you" She added, jovially. She appeared to be Gibbs' own age, an average height, with long, dark brown hair streaked bits of silver that fell beneath her shoulders. She possessed a persona that made Gibbs feel at ease around her – a sort of no-nonsense personality balanced with a cheeky sense of humor. Dr. Foken was not one to tap dance around an issue, and, he respected her for that._

" _Well, Rosalie …" Gibbs began, trying his best to avoid getting his hopes up. He'd heard that this could happen to certain men – men that were built a certain way. He'd never been tested, but, he was beginning to suspect that he may be one of those men. "Been feelin' a little queasy in the mornings, my coffee suddenly gives me a rather violent urge to empty the contents of my stomach … And, just yesterday, I nearly blacked out at a crime scene." Gibbs remembered the moment disturbingly fondly. He tried not to think about the way DiNozzo's strong arms felt, wrapped around him, as they caught him before he hit the pavement. He loved Jai and thinking of DiNozzo that way was completely inappropriate. Shaking his head, he cleared his mind as he decided to focus on the here and now._

" _All right, Jethro, I'm just going to do an over-all exam on you and we'll draw some blood samples and we'll see if we can't come up with any answers for you." Dr. Foken replied, trying not to smile to herself, as she snapped on a pair of exam gloves. She had her suspicions, but, she didn't want to reveal them until she had the evidence to back them up._

 _Gibbs sat back and complied with all of the doctor's orders as she completed her examination of him – frustrated that the process seemed to be going at an agonizingly slow rate – until she finally began to ready the vials and the needle for the bloodwork. He couldn't explain the relief that washed over him when Dr. Foken finally instructed him to roll up his sleeve. Once she'd inserted the needle into his arm, he waited with a patience that surprised him as he watched his blood fill a series of three small vials before she extracted the needle, covering the puncture wound with a cotton ball and white adhesive gauze._

" _Okay, Jethro … We're all finished, here." Dr. Foken spoke, finally, as Gibbs literally_ hopped _down off of the exam table. "I will get these straight off to the lab." Sensing Gibbs' anticipation, she smiled softly as she added "Don't worry … I'll make sure they're priority one." She offered, gently. "And, I will call you the minute I get the results."_

 _"Thanks, doc." Gibbs replied, smiling as he could almost feel himself vibrating with excitement and anticipation as he eagerly awaited the doctor's phone call as he left to return to work._

 _Returning to the Navy Yard, Gibbs couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed that it was a painfully uneventful day. He'd hoped for a crime scene to take his mind off his anticipation and to pass the time until Dr. Foken called him with his test results. When the phone finally did ring, Gibbs pretended not to notice the stares from his team as he almost jumped across his desk to snatch the phone from its cradle. "Gibbs!" He barked, admittedly a little_ too _eagerly._

"Jethro!" _Dr. Foken greeted brightly._ "Do you have a minute?" _She asked, curiously._

" _Course!" Gibbs replied, feeling his heartrate quicken as he anxiously awaited her news. "Whaddaya got for me?" He questioned._

"Well, I got test results for you." _Dr. Foken replied, cheerily._ "And, I do believe congratulations are in order, Mr. Gibbs." _She added, taking admittedly just a little too much enjoyment out of making the federal agent squirm._ "Congratulations, Jethro! … You're pregnant!" _The good doctor replied, barely able to contain her smile._

 _And, in that moment, time seemed to stand still around Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He couldn't believe it. His suspicions had been correct. But, he still couldn't believe that he was really pregnant. He'd never though something like this would ever be possible for him. Sure, he'd always been attracted to both sexes. But, until he'd met Jai Wilcox, he never would have seen himself truly falling for another man – or anyone else, for that matter. He'd never fully given himself over to anyone else after Shannon – he'd been afraid of getting hurt. But, with Jai, he'd finally let go of all his defenses. And, they were ridiculously happy. But, now … Now, they were about to start a family, together. Jethro couldn't imagine how anything could be better than this. "Pregnant?" He repeated, his voice scarcely above a whisper and – thankfully – inaudible amid the mix of various office sounds around him._

"Bloodwork confirms it." _Dr. Foken replied, happily._ "And, from the looks of things, I'd say you're about seven weeks along." _She elaborated._ "Give or take a day or two …" _She added, cheekily._

 _Tracing back in time, Gibbs smiled as he realized he must have conceived on the night of his and Jai's fifth anniversary. Jethro recalled that night, fondly._

He'd never been a fan of over-the-top romantic gestures. But, he couldn't explain the fluttering in his chest when he saw the trail of rose petals leading up the stairs and into the bedroom. Once there, he'd seen the entire room illuminated by countless votive candles scattered around the room. Jai came out of the en suite bathroom dressed in his favorite black silk robe – which he left open – revealing that he was fully naked underneath. "Welcome home, Jethro." Jai smiled, as Gibbs began shedding his clothes as he sauntered across the room before embracing his lover in his arms – kissing him hungrily. The passion was all-consuming as they stumbled across the bedroom – shedding more clothing along the way – until they both tumbled onto the bed, fully naked, where the kisses and touches slowed and became more deliberate. They took their time exploring each other's familiar bodies as if they were brand new all over again. They'd made love, that night. It wasn't the hot, wild, and untamed passion that they both enjoyed. It was purely romantic passion. Every touch filled with the unspoken tenderness and devotion they shared with one another. Their love-making was slow and gentle. Neither of them was in any hurry. They were just enjoying the love and passion evident in every tender touch and caress. Finally, Jai expertly flipped Jethro onto his stomach as he prepared his lover's opening with great care and gentility. He took his time slicking fingers with their favorite lubricant before he resumed nibbling gently on Jethro's earlobe – lost in the delicious moans escaping his lover's lips – as his fully erect penis moved into position to slowly enter Jethro.

As he entered his lover, Jai noticed this time felt different. Different from every other time he'd been intimate with Jethro. But, his mind was too hazy to try to comprehend why. What he hadn't realized was the fact that his penis had found a new opening he'd never previously known existed between Jethro's testicles and his anus.

Jethro was acutely aware of the difference as he cried out in both shock and unexpected pleasure as a whole new opening he didn't know he had was forced open. It was a delicious new experience and Jethro quickly lost himself in the sensations.

 _Jethro shookhis head to clear his mind, as he focused on the wonderful news he'd just been given. "Thanks, doc." He replied, his voice tightening around the lump in this throat, as he hung up the phone._

 _Knowing that he would never be able to concentrate, now, Gibbs looked around the room and decided that his team could hold down the fort and if anything_ did _come up, they could call him if they needed him. Making up his mind, he grabbed his coat, his gun, and his badge and left in an undeniably giddy hurry, ignoring the questions and calls from his team._

* * *

Gibbs had been over the moon when he'd gotten the news. He couldn't wait for Jai to get home for him to share the joyous news with him. They'd been talking about wanting to start a family and, ironically enough, Gibbs had been meaning to get tested to see if he would even be able to conceive and carry a child ever since they'd learned that Jai was unable to do so. He wasn't sure if it was the news of his lover's death or the pregnancy hormones raging out of control – he suspected a little of both – but, Jethro remained silent for a moment before a violent sob exploded out of him. The subsequent sobs continued to wrack his body as he collapsed into Annie's waiting arms.

Annie simply held her brother in her arms – letting him cry out everything he was feeling in that moment. She knew she could never fully appreciate what her brother was going through. But, she also knew that bottling it all up inside wasn't healthy for him. That was why she was so relieved that Jethro was letting himself cry this all out, now, rather than later. She wanted to be there to comfort him through it the best that she could. However, she was soon confused by her brother's next statement.

"Of all the times …" Gibbs muttered, brokenly, sniffling as he pulled away from Annie to look her in the eye.

"Whaddo you mean?" Annie asked, curiously.

"I went to the doctor, this morning …" Gibbs elaborated, his voice thick and watery. Annie realized she'd forgotten all about her brother's appointment, that morning. Though, she figured that was understandable, given that she'd survived an explosion, that afternoon.

"Oh my God, Jethro!" Annie exclaimed, apologetically. "I can't believe I forgot about your appointment, today!" She added, remaining quiet for a moment before voicing her question. "How did it go?" Annie knew that now might not have been the best time for that, particular, question. But, she had hoped it might provide her brother with a much-needed distraction.

Jethro looked in Annie's eyes with a look in his own piercing blue orbs that his baby sister had never seen before – not even after he lost Shannon and Kelly. "I'm pregnant." Gibbs replied, his voice broken and devoid of the joy that had been there mere hours ago. Devoid of any emotion at all.

Suddenly the gravity of it all came crashing down on Annie all at once. She couldn't even _begin_ to imagine what her brother had to be going through. To find out that he and the man that he loved were going to have a baby to learning that his lover had been murdered. "Oh, God … Leroy …" Annie breathed, awestruck.

Gibbs drew in a shakey breath, trying to pull himself back together, again – to compose his thoughts. "Who?" He inquired, quietly, not trusting his voice to fuction properly at any higher volume.

Annie had been dreading that question. But, it was exactly what she expected of her big brother. She figured that Jethro would try to treat Jai's death the same way he would any other murder laid at his feet to try to distract himself from dealing with the fact that he'd just lost the man that he loved and the father of his unborn child. "Leroy, you know-"

"GOD **DAMN IT** , ANNE!" Gibbs shouted in a sudden outburst of rage as he leapt off the couch to pace across the living room. "JUST TELL ME … WHO **THE HELL** MURDERED MY **_PARTNER_**! THE MAN THAT I **_LOVE_**! THE **FATHER** OF MY _UNBORN_ ** _CHILD_**!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, as he pointed to his still flat stomach – his anger running away from him and running wild. And, in that moment, Leroy Jethro Gibbs just didn't give a damn anymore.

Annie Gibbs deserved an Oscar for remaining the epitome of calm, cool, and collected as he brother screamed at her at the top of his lungs. Though, she was a little taken aback by the use of her formal name. His anger left a wild look on his face and in his eyes that would have paralyzed any lesser person with absolute and utter terror. Annie, to her credit maintained her composure even under the famous Gibbs stare. "Leroy, you know better than anyone that – even if I _DID_ have any promising information that I couldn't share it with you!" She explained, calmly, with a firm note of confidence in her voice. Rising to her feet, she halted her brother's pacing as she spoke, once more. "You _know_ that this is a _CIA_ investigation! … _Not_ NCIS! The information pertaining to the investigation is _strictly_ **need-to-know**!"

"AND, **I** _NEED-TO-KNOW_ WHO THE HELL MURDERED THE MAN THAT I LOVE!" Gibbs demanded. Annie sighed. She couldn't help sympathizing with her big brother. She knew that – in his shoes – she'd be desperate for answers, too.

Gripping her brother by the elbows, Annie made sure to ground him as she spoke – her eyes boring straight into his. "And, I _promise_ you, Leroy … As soon as _I_ know … _You'll_ know." She assured her brother. The sincerity in her eyes and in her voice told the elder Gibbs that his baby sister was telling him the truth. He knew she would never keep the name of his lover's killer secret from him.

As Gibbs released a long, deep, shuddering, sigh, Annie watched the angry tension bleed from his body as he collapsed into her arms, once more. "I know." He sobbed, quietly. "I know."

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
** I'm still relatively new to _NCIS_ fanfiction. So, please be kind. And, don't forget to drop a review! This is _technically_ a crossover between _NCIS_ and _Covert Affairs_ , however, it will be focusing more on _NCIS_. The _Covert Affairs_ aspects will mostly be a background plot. The story will focus more on Tony and Gibbs' developing relationship.

~Skye Coulson


	2. All of My Memories Keep You Here

**Going the Distance**

 **Disclaimer:  
** You know the drill …

 **Rating:  
** M

 **Genre:  
** Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family

 **Pairings:  
** [previous/past]Jibbs (Jai Wilcoxs/Leroy Jethro Gibbs)  
[future]Tibbs (Tony DiNozzo/Leroy Jethro Gibbs)

 **Lyrics Used:  
** Within Temptation "Memories"  
Ashley Tisdale "You're Always Here"

* * *

All of My Memories Keep You Here

* * *

 _In this world, you tried | Not leaving me alone behind | There's no other way | I prayed to the gods 'Let him stay' | The memories ease the pain inside | Now I know why_

 _All of my memories keep you near | In silent moments imagine you'd be here | All of my memories keep you here | In silent whispers | Silent tears_

 _Made me promise I'd try | To find my way back in this life | Hope there is a way | To give me a sign you're okay | Reminds me again it's worth it all | So, I can go on_

* * *

Today was the day. The one day Leroy Jethro Gibbs had hoped and prayed he would never see. Today was the day he laid his lover, Jai Wilcox, in the ground. Today was Jai's funeral. Gibbs sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror – his hands coming to rest on his still-flat stomach as he thought about the future he had ahead of him. He never would have imagined that Jai would have been taken from him – leaving him to raise their child completely on his own. He didn't even know how he was supposed to face the prospect of having to go through the journey of pregnancy alone. Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a proud man. A marine. He'd always prided himself on getting by on his own. On never needing anybody to help him through anything. But, damn it, he needed Jai Wilcox. He needed his baby's father there with him as this new little life grew and blossomed inside of him. Just as he'd begun to register the tear tracks cooling on his cheeks, Gibbs looked up to see his senior field agent – Agent Anthony DiNozzo Jr – standing in the doorway dressed in a black suit similar to his own. "How long you been standing there?" He asked, quietly, suddenly hoping the younger agent hadn't noticed him gently caressing his stomach. That was a question he just wasn't ready to answer. Not yet.

"Long enough." Tony replied, considering his boss. "You really should lock your front door." He offered, hoping to ease the palpable tensiion with a little levity. He'd noticed that Gibbs seemed oddly fascinated by his stomach. But, he knew Gibbs had a lot on his mind. He figured it would be wise not to press any issues, right now. He knew Gibbs would talk when he was ready. Or at least he hoped he would. That was why he'd insisted on accompanying Gibbs to the funeral. He knew the man would need the support – he couldn't imagine going through what Gibbs had to be dealing with, right now. He couldn't imagine what he would do if someone ever killed Gibbs. Not that Gibbs would ever know of his feelings for him. Or at least, he'd never previously considered telling him. The entire time he'd known the older man, Gibbs had been in a happily committed relationship. Tony'd always been jealous of the Indian-American man that had stolen the heart of the man he loved before he'd even had a chance to love him. But, he'd stepped down. He could tell that Gibbs was happy with Jai Wilcox and as long as that was the case, Tony knew he had to put his jealousy aside and support Gibbs' happiness. But, even now, Tony knew that it was far and away too soon to dump his feelings at Gibbs' feet. He knew Gibbs wouldn't be ready for that kind of confession for a while – if ever. Right now, Tony was content to provide a shoulder for Gibbs to cry on if needed or just to provide whatever support he could. He just wanted to know that – if he needed it – Gibbs had someone he could turn to. He wasn't alone in this. "You ready to go?" He asked, carefully, looking at the older man.

Gibbs released a deep, heavy, sigh as he replied "As I'll ever be." If he were to be honest with himself, he really didn't want to go to the funeral. Going to the funeral would mean that it was real. That it was all real and not just some nightmare he had yet to wake from. But, Tony had convinced him that he'd regret it if he didn't go. And, deep down, he'd known the younger man was right. He knew it _was_ real and he needed closure. It was the only way he could ever heal. Fighting the urge to rest his hands on his stomach and the new life growing and developing inside it, Gibbs strode across the room.

Tony lightly gripped the older man by the forearms. "Gibbs … Look, I know I have …. absolutely _no_ idea what you're going through, right now …" He conceded, earning himself a ' _Ya think?_ ' look from Gibbs. "Look, all I'm saying … Is that … You're not alone, Gibbs. I may not fully appreciate what you're going through … But, I'm always here if you need … anything. Anything at all. … You know that, right?" He asked, praying to God that Gibbs would open up and let him in.

Gibbs sighed lightly as he took in what his SFA was saying. "I know." He offered, quietly and gently, nodding lightly before continuing out into the hallway as Tony followed him out.

Upon reaching the driveway, Tony had convinced Gibbs to allow him to drive. Though, admittedly, Gibbs didn't really put up much of a fight. He knew he was in no shape to drive. And, he just didn't have it in him to fight anything. He just wanted the day to be over. Climbing inside the passenger seat of Tony's car, he waited silently for Tony to take his place in the driver's seat. He would never admit as much, but, he appreciated the way that Tony had opened the door for him, helped him in and closed the door behind him once he was in the car. It was all so chivalrous. But, as flattered as he was by all the attention he was receiving, it also tore him apart from the inside out as it reminded him of Jai. Jai had always been attentive and devoting. He would have made a great dad – despite his fear of turning into his own father, Henry Wilcox. Gibbs had never met the man – Jai had made it a point to keep his father away from Jethro – but, he knew the man's reputation. Still, though … Somewhere deep down, he'd always hoped that Jai and Henry would end up like Tony and his father. He'd hoped they just misunderstood each other and could work through their problems. _Guess that's not gonna happen, now …_ He told himself.

* * *

 _They say that love won't die | And, then I realize | What will be will be | You're always here with me | And, in the darkest night | I feel you by my side | What will be will be | You're always here with_

 _Meet me in my dreams | And, you can help me believe | Tell me there are gonna be better days | To see your face and | To feel your embrace I swear | I'll never forget what you gave so I_

 _Pull myself together | I know it's for the better now | It's my turn, it's my turn to carry this weight | Nothing is forever | You can't predict the weather now | You'll be there to help me carry this weight_

* * *

After the funeral had come to a close, Tony and Gibbs stood over Jai's grave. Tony remembered watching Gibbs throw the first fistful of dirt into the grave and he remembered feeling both sorry for the older man's loss and amazed at how well Gibbs was holding himself together under the circumstances. Part of him wondered if the older man was just numb and if the weight of it all would come crashing down on him, later. If that were the case, Tony only hoped and prayed that Gibbs would let him be there to catch him when he fell.

The ceremony had drawn to a close and the other attendants had all paid their respects and left, already – even Gibbs' own sister. Tony couldn't help wondering why she wouldn't stay there with her brother to pay respects to the man's late lover. Annie Gibbs claimed she was a friend of Jai's and that she loved her brother … _Why wouldn't she stay here with her brother when she can see that he clearly needs her?_ But, Tony shook those thoughts from his head as he focused on the priority task at hand. That was focusing on Gibbs. "I know how much he meant to you." Tony spoke, gently, resting what he hoped would be a comforting hand ever so lightly on the small of Gibbs' back. He still couldn't shake the electric sparks that shot through his system at even the slightest touch with Gibbs. But, now was not the time to be thinking those highly inappropriate thoughts.

"Meant the world to me." Gibbs muttered, quietly, lost in his own thoughts – memories of his time with Jai. The reverie was short-lived, though, as Jai's father decided to introduce himself into their private moment.

"Meant the world to _all of us_." Henry Wilcox ammended, sauntering over to Gibbs and Tony. "Henry Wilcox." He added, introducing himself to men, extending his hand in anticipation of a handshake.

"I know who ya are." Gibbs replied, quietly, never once taking his eyes off the grave that now held his late lover's coffin.

"You must be the famous Leroy Jethro Gibbs." Henry surmised, smugly. Tony couldn't place it, but, he definitely didn't like this guy. Even if he _was_ Jai's father. He was way too smug for a man that had just attended his son's funeral.

"Guess so." Gibbs concluded, quietly, silently wishing for the man to just go away and let him grieve in peace.

"May I call you 'Lee'?" Henry inquired, before being silenced with a stare completely devoid of any emotion. "I'll take that as a 'no'." He surmised.

"Is there somethin' I can do for you, Mr. Wilcox?" Gibbs snapped. He was mentally and physically too drained to give a damn about pleasantries. And, he was definitely seeing why Jai wanted nothing to do with his father.

"Well, we never got to officially meet." Henry offered, lightly. "I wanted to get to know the man that managed to hold my son's heart for the last five years of his life." He elaborated.

"There was a reason we never met, Wilcox-" Gibbs began, before being cut off.

"Please!" Henry interjected, in a clearly feigned friendly tone. _God, this guy is so fake!_ Tony thought to himself, disgusted with the man before them. "Call me 'Henry'." Henry added with a sickening grin. "After all … We're practically family."

"The only thing tying Jethro to you was incinerated by that carbomb!" Tony finally snapped, unable to contain his disgust any longer. "Sorry, Gibbs." He offered, lamely, realizing he may have overstepped some boundaries.

 _Not the only thing …_ Gibbs thought to himself as he, once again, fought the urge to caress his stomach as he thought of the new life he was developing. "'sokay, Tony." He offered, quietly. Truthfully, he appreciated the younger man's protectiveness over him. He'd always been able to count on Tony to have his back. It was one of the things he admired about Anthony DiNozzo Jr.

"Perhaps we can get together, sometime." Henry offered, feigning thoughtfulness. "Have lunch? … We can … share our memories of Jai?"

"Maybe." Gibbs replied, his voice clearly indicating that it was time for the man to leave.

"Well … Until then …" Henry concluded, taking his leave. "Gentlemen."

" _That_ was Jai's _dad_?" Tony asked, dumbfounded. He couldn't have imagined anybody having a worse dad than his. _Clearly, I was wrong._

"Unfortunately." Gibbs grunted. Unable to stand there and stare at his lover's tombstone, Gibbs just silently turned and proceeded to return to the car. Taking the older man's hint, Tony just turned and followed him.

* * *

Later that night, Tony returned to Gibbs' house with the Chinese take-out meals before delivering them to Gibbs' coffee table in the living room. "Dinner's ready." He offered, casually, as Gibbs joined him on the sofa. Tony wasn't sure exactly why Gibbs had allowed him to spend the day at the house – sometimes talking, sometimes listening, sometimes just sitting and holding the older man while cried. Tony knew hot much Gibbs hated showing vulnerability in front of others. So, he knew how big it was when Gibbs lowered his guards to let Tony see him cry. Whatever Gibbs' reasons were, he was just glad he could be there to help the older man.

Sitting down next to Tony on his living room sofa, Gibbs picked up his order and began to eat in silence. The day's events had left him drained and he just wanted to eat his dinner and get to bed. Tony had been unbelievably supportive and had stayed with him all day and he'd been grateful. The younger man had been incredibly patient as he listened to Gibbs ramble and even supported and held him as he'd cried through all of the pain and anger and even fear that he'd been trying to fight back. Now, he'd brought him dinner. Gibbs didn't know what he'd done to deserve this kind treatment but he was damn sure glad he did.

The dinner passed in a not-entirely-uncomfortable silence. Whether people realized this about Tony or not, he did know when to speak up and when to hold his tongue. And, he sensed that he needed to stay quiet and let Gibbs come to him. After they'd finished eating, Tony decided to step up and clear the dishes while Gibbs just sat and watched him. Tony could feel his stare on his back but – this time – he didn't mind. He was content to let Gibbs do whatever it was he felt like he needed to do.

When Tony stepped up to clear the remnants of their dinner, Gibbs just sat back on his sofa and watched Tony clearing the trash. He knew he should hate being coddled like he was. Maybe it was the hormones … Or maybe he was just too drained to care that he was being coddled. Either way, Leroy Jethro Gibbs just didn't seem to mind being coddled by Tony DiNozzo.

As Tony came back into the living room, he had been just about to check to see if Gibbs needed anything else when he watched a knock on the front door cause the normally stoic man to physically jolt. He cocked his head in a moment of confusion before Gibbs collected himself and rose off the couch to answer the door.

"Annie." Gibbs greeted his sister, though, his voice betrayed his exhaustion.

"Hey, Leroy." Annie replied, sympathetically, as she wrapped her brother up in a brief hug. "I just came by to see how you were doing." She added, as she pulled away. As she did so, she turned and saw the other man in the living room with him. "Oh! Hi." She greeted, surprised. "You're … Tony, right? Tony DiNozzo?" She queried, recalling that her brother had introduced her to the man at the funeral, earlier, that day.

"Yes." Tony confirmed as Gibbs and his sister rejoined him in the living room. "And, you're … Annie, right?"

"Yup." Annie confirmed, before Tony spoke, again.

"So, why did you leave the funeral so quick?" The young SFA questioned, before mentally giving himself a head-slap as he realized that his question might have been in poor taste. He just couldn't bite it back, any longer.

"Tony." Gibbs intervened in what he'd hoped was a warning tone even though he'd known how weak and tired it sounded – even to his own ears.

"No, it's okay, Leroy." Annie replied. _Leroy?!_ Tony thought to himself. He supposed that being related to Gibbs came with certain privileges. She was the first person he'd ever seen get away with calling Gibbs 'Leroy'. Even he, himself, was only just able to get away with calling him 'Jethro' for the first time, that day. "I don't mind …." Annie continued on, refocusing her attention on Tony. "I _am_ sorry about that, Agent DiNozzo." She added. "But, I'm also, currently, very involved in the investigation into Jai's murder. So, I had to get back to the office to try to figure out who killed the man that my brother loved." She added, carefully, omitting the part about the baby just in case Gibbs hadn't mentioned it to Tony, himself, yet.

"Oh." Tony replied, shamefully. _I suppose that_ is _a good excuse._ He thought to himself, giving himself another mental head-slap. _Dumbass._

"Is there any news?" Gibbs questioned. He knew it was early, but, he was desperate for answers and patience was a virtue that he was completely tapped out on, at the moment.

Annie looked back and forth between her brother and his SFA. She wasn't sure if she should divulge information pertaining to the investigation. Then, again … She really wasn't sure about how much information to even give her brother. God knows the man had already been through enough. He didn't need to know that his own baby sister was the prime suspect in the murder of his lover.

Gibbs could sense his sister's dilemma. "Anything you gotta say to me, you can say in fronta him." The elder Gibbs informed his sister, not wanting to wait any longer, as he gestured to Tony.

The gesture meant more to Tony than even he realized. It meant that Gibbs trusted him on levels he hadn't known about. That knowledge touched him deeply as he watched Annie nod in understanding before she joined them in the living as she spoke again.

"Well, I don't have as much to offer as I'd hoped." Annie confessed, defeatedly. "All I know for sure is that – officially – Jai's death is being explained, publicly, as an accident related to an automobile recall." Annie flinched, almost visibly, knowing that hearing what she'd just told them would make his blood boil. If there was anything he hated more than someone killing the man that he loved, it was somebody else lying about the aforementioned man's death.

"A cover-up?!" Tony demanded, nearly as incensed as Gibbs had been at the news. "What the hell-"

"It's standard procedure." Annie interjected, quickly. "Langley doesn't want to broadcast the fact that Jai was murdered because they don't want Metro sticking their noses into the investigation." She elaborated, blandly, almost clinically. "They want to handle the investigation completely in-house. Personally, I agree." She added, as an afterthought. "I don't know about you, but, I don't trust Metro as far as I could throw 'em." She added, crossing her arms over her chest.

Gibbs merely grunted in response as he slumped back down onto the center of the couch before Tony and Annie slumped down on either side of him. "Joan and Arthur know you're keepin' me updated on the investigation?" Gibbs questioned, curiously.

"Actually …" Annie drawled, uncomfortably. She hated hiding information from her brother, but, she just didn't have it in her to tell him she was being suspected of the murder. But, she did feel obligated to inform him that she'd been transferred to a new department. _Doesn't mean he has to know_ why _I was transferred._ She thought to herself. _And, frankly, Annie … You don't know for a_ fact _that you're being transferred because they think you killed Jai. … That could just be your paranoia getting the better of you._ She told herself, hoping against hope that her suspciions had been wrong. "I've been reassigned." She added, finally, biting the proverbial bullet.

"'Reassigned'?" Gibbs repeated, curiously.

"They transferred me to another unit." Annie replied, settling back into the sofa. "My new boss is a woman by the name of Lena Smith." She added, unsure of how to feel about the new assignment.

"'Lena Smith'?" Tony repeated, wrinkling his nose at the sound of the name on his lips. "'At's a spy's name if I ever heard one." He commented, off-handedly.

"Well, it _is_ the CIA, DiNozzo." Gibbs grunted, quietly.

"She says she 'knows what I'm going through'." Annie replied, mocking her new boss's own words from earlier, that night. "Says she survived an explosion, herself." She added, snidely. "Yeah … That was _exactly_ the same as witnessing the death of the man that your brother loved and _then_ have to go and _tell_ your brother that the man he loves is dead! **Totally** the same thing!" The young CIA operative spat, angrily. Tony looked at her with a note of sympathy. He didn't know how she could give Gibbs that news and still function. It would positively _kill_ him to have to give Gibbs news like that. Sighing, lightly, Annie gently took her brother's hand in her own as she replied "Look, Leroy … I don't care _who_ has a problem with it if I keep you in the loop during the investigation." She began, in all seriousness. "You will know _exactly_ what I know _as_ I know it." She finished.

"I know." Gibbs replied, hating the audible trembling in his voicem as he tiredly squeezed the hand that held his own.

"What if they take ya off the case?" Tony questioned, curiously. He didn't think Gibbs would be able to handle it if Annie were no longer able to provide him with answers as to who murdered the man that he loved.

"Doesn't matter." Annie replied, determined. "Even if they take me off the official investigation. Joan knows me well enough to know that I'll just start my own … off the books." She added, simply.

Watching the exchange between the Gibbs siblings, Tony couldn't deny the similarities. They were both equally stubborn and both damn good at their jobs. He also had to admit that he'd been wrong in his previous judgment of the younger Gibbs. She certainly did seem to care about her older brother. Tony was glad to see that Gibbs had someone like her in his life. He was gonna need it.

Sensing that her brother was physically and mentally spent, Annie figured she'd better slip out and let him try to get some rest. And, before she accidentally let any information slip that she did not want to slip. "Well, I gotta get outta here. Lena runs a tight ship and she wants me to go in, early, tomorrow." She added, rising from the couch as her brother and Tony joined her.

"'m glad you stopped by, Annie." Gibbs muttered, sounding every bit as lost as he felt, as he wrapped his arms around Annie in a gesture that was half-hug, half-clinging to a life preserver. Holding in his sister's arms helped anchor him – brought him back to reality.

"Me, too, Leroy." Annie replied, though, muffled by her brother's shoulder, as she gently rubbed soothing circles on his back. "Me, too." She added, before turning in to her brother's ear as she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Hang in there, bro … Don't be afraid to let Tony in … Let him help you." She whispered, gently squeezing before she added two more final words. "Tell him." There was no need to elaborate on what 'Tell him' meant.

Gibbs just nodded, mutely, as he clung to his sister a moment longer. "I love you, Annie." Gibbs muttered, shakily.

"I love you, too, Leroy." Annie replied, pulling away before the dam broke and she lost her composure.

After saying her goodbyes, Annie let herself out. Standing on the opposite side of the door, she let herself lean back against the door, silently, as she thought about the information she'd withheld from her brother. "By the way, Leroy … Funny thing … Langley thinks _I'm_ the one that killed Jai." She muttered so quietly that only she could hear before pushing herself away from the door and returning to her car.

* * *

"'m goin' to bed." Gibbs spoke around a large yawn – stretching his tired and aching muscles.

"Oh … Okay, then." Tony replied, chastising himself for not realizing that this moment would come sooner or later. Eventually, Gibbs would want to go to bed and he'd have to leave. "I'll just, uh … Just see myself out, then." He added, proceeding toward the door. That is … Until a desperate hand clamped down on his arm – halting him in place, causing him to turn his head around to face the older man. The look of pure and utter desperation in the older man's piercing blue eyes paralyzed him to the spot.

"Don't go." Gibbs spoke, desperately. "Stay … Please." He all but begged. If the thought had occurred to him, he likely would have gotten down on his hands and knees and begged, properly, if that was what the younger man wanted of him. "I need you." He muttered, brokenly.

"Jethro …" Tony ventured, daring to use the man's first name. "I will stay by your side until you _order_ me away." He added, hoping and praying to whatever deity may have been listening that his sincerity was shining through his eyes and his voice. Fortunately, he seemed to have gotten his point across as Gibbs just nodded in silent relief before leading the younger man up to his bedroom.

Once they'd stripped down and changed for bed, Gibbs had a million thoughts racing through his mind. He wanted to tell Tony about the baby. But, truthfully, he was just too tired, right now. _Tomorrow._ He promised himself as he settled himself in underneath the blankets. He wasn't sure how to feel about Tony sleeping in Jai's place in their bed so soon after his death. But, he damn sure knew he couldn't handle the thought of sleeping in that bed, alone. Watching as the younger man slid into the bed, he noticed the way he climbed in careful not to get too close and crowd the older man. Under normal circumstances, Gibbs would have been grateful for the space. But, right now, he needed to be touched. Held. Comforted. Soothed. He needed DiNozzo. So, once the younger man seemed settled, Gibbs scooted himself back up against him until their bodies were pressed flush, together.

Unprepared for the sudden, physical, contact, Tony blushed ever so slightly as he immediately focused all of his concentration toward keeping his erection at bay. The feeling of having Gibbs pressed flush against him, like this – so intimately – was driving him utterly insane. Or, at least it _would_ have if this were his fantasies. But, this wasn't a fantasy. This was reality. And, the reality was that Gibbs was hurting and in need of physical comfort. Understanding this, Tony wrapped his arms around Gibbs, securely, hoping he was providing what the older man needed. "How's that?" Tony asked, clearing his throat, awkwardly.

"'s fine." Gibbs muttered, shakily, trying desperately to fight back the tears.

"Good." Tony added, freeing up one of his hands to gently card his fingers through the older man's silver hair. _My precious silver fox._ He thought to himself, sadly, as he subconsciously pressed a gentle kiss to the older man's shoulder. _Shit!_ He thought to himself, in a panic, praying that Gibbs wouldn't notice the kiss. But, if he did – thank God – he didn't say anything. "Good night, Gibbs." He offered, quietly, hating the way it felt as Gibbs' body vibrated with quiet sobs.

"G'night, Tony." Gibbs muttered, quietly, his voice thick and watery as the tears that he'd been fighting back came bursting through his dam at the feeling of Tony's lips against his shoulders. The touch brought back memories of all the times he'd shared that very same bed with Jai. The touch felt so similar to Jai's. So familiar. The tears were burning hot trails down his cheeks and rapidly soaking his pillow. He just didn't have it in him to contain himself, any more, as the tears continued flowing freely as he slowly cried himself to sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Once again, please don't forget to drop a review! I hope you're all enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying _writing_ it!


	3. I Hope You Dance

**Going the Distance**

 **Disclaimer:  
** Y'all know the drill, by now.

 **Rating:  
** M

 **Genre:  
** Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family

 **Pairings:  
** [past]Gibbs/Jai  
[future]Gibbs/Tony

 **Lyrics Used:  
** Lee Ann Womack "I Hope You Dance"

* * *

I Hope You Dance

* * *

 _I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance | Never settle for the path of least resistance | Livin' might mean takin' chances, but, they're worth takin' | Lovin' might be a mistake, but, it's worth makin' | Don't let some hellbent heart leave you bitter | When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider | Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance | And, when you get the choice to sit it out or dance_

 _I hope you dance … I hope you dance | I hope you dance … I hope you dance | (Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us a long | Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone)_

* * *

 _Gibbs stood in the doorway of the nursery, watching as Tony cuddled the small, newborn, child in his arms close to his chest. It was around o'two-hundred and he'd woken to the sound of his baby crying, however, when he went to go soothe his child, he was surprised to see Tony had already beaten him to it. Lightly folding his arms over his chest, Leroy Jethro Gibbs just silently leaned against the door frame as he watched the younger man softly singing his baby to sleep._

" _Hush little baby, don't say a word Papa's gonna buy you a mocking bird And, if that mocking bird won't sing Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring And, if that diamond ring turns brass Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass" Tony's soft soothing voice seemed to be doing just the trick as Gibbs watched his child already started drifting off. As he watched the scene unfold, Gibbs couldn't stop smiling as he felt his heart swelling with love and pride. He didn't know how he'd been so lucky to end up here, but, he was damn sure glad he was. "And, if that looking glass gets broke | Papa's gonna buy you a Billy goat | And, if that Billy goat won't pull | Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull | And, if that cart and bull fall down | You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town"_

 _Looking down at the soundly sleeping newborn in his arms, Tony smiled as he gently lowered her back down, into the crib before him. Once he turned toward the doorway, he smiled as he saw Gibbs watching him with wide smile spread across his face and a few happy tears trickling down his cheeks. Crossing the room, he guided the older man out into the hall, as he closed the nursery door behind him. "Sorry." Tony whispered, quietly – so as not to wake the now-sleeping infant on the other side of the door – before leaning into Gibbs for a quick kiss. "I was trying to let you get some sleep."_

" _'S all right." Gibbs whispered, quietly, returning the brief kiss. "Ya know, I can't believe how wonderful you are with her." He whispered, in wonder._

" _It's easy when she's so lovable." Tony admitted, honestly. Truthfully, he'd fallen in love with the precious little newborn the first time he'd accompanied Jethro to one of his doctor's appointments. The first time he'd seen the little blip on the ultrasound monitor, Tony could literally_ feel _his entire life changing and he loved it._

* * *

Gibbs woke with a start at the inappropriate nature of his dream. _You_ ** _just_** _laid Jai in the ground,_ **yesterday** _!_ He scolded himself, mentally giving himself a head-slap as he tried to chalk it up to the pregnancy hormones before turning over to see Tony propped up on an elbow, as he'd been watching him sleep. "Morning." Tony greeted quietly. He knew better than to call it a good morning. He'd sensed the older man's fitful sleep throughout the night. But, when he'd woken up that morning, he'd seen the peaceful expression on Gibbs' face. He didn't know what had been the cause of it, but, he was grateful for it. For once, the older man seemed to be sleeping peacefully and Tony wasn't about to disrupt him.

"Morning." Gibbs replied – his voice gruff from sleep. For a moment, the two of them just watched each other. Gibbs had seen the admiration in the younger man's eyes, though, he'd tried to ignore it.

"You hungry?" Tony questioned, gently.

It was then that Gibbs actually stopped to think about it. And, he could – in fact – stand to eat something. "Yeah." Gibbs replied, quietly, still lost in Tony's eyes.

Stroking a lock of hair out of Gibbs' face, Tony replied "Okay. Why don't you go ahead and shower … get dressed … I'll head downstairs and see what I can put together for breakfast?" He offered, before he started to rise from the bed.

Sighing, softly, Gibbs knew if he didn't tell Tony the truth about the baby, he'd likely lose his nerve. _The sooner the better._ He told himself, as he reached out and effectively halted Tony's movements with a light grip around Tony's wrist. "It can wait." He spoke up, cryptically.

As Tony turned to look at him, his face turned to concern as he replied "What's wrong, Jethro?"

Letting go of Tony's wrist, Gibbs moved to sit up in the bed before patting the spot next to him. "Have a seat. … There's something I wanna talk to ya about." He elaborated without really explaining himself.

Now, Tony was really worried. Gibbs was being even more cryptic than usual. "Jethro … Seriously … What's goin' on?" Tony questioned, as he sat down on the bed, next to Jethro.

Releasing a deep sigh, Gibbs felt his resolve wavering as he looked down at his hands on his lap. "Listen, Tony … There's something that I have to tell you and it's … It's hard for me to say so I just … I just need you to be patient and let me get through it before you say anything … Okay?" He asked, stalling for time as he worked up the nerve to confess what he wanted to tell Tony. Tony's only response was to lightly grip one of Gibbs' hands in his own with a reassuring squeeze. "The morning … Jai … was killed … I'd gone to the doctor." Tony had been known about the doctor visit and had wanted to ask about it, but, he knew better than to interrupt Gibbs when he didn't want to be interrupted. Even when Gibbs fell silent, Tony could see the gears turning in the other man's head as he searched for the words for what he wanted to say. Tony, for his part, just waited patiently until Gibbs spoke again. Looking up into Tony's eyes, Gibbs decided to just get straight to the point – rip off the band-aid, sota speak – as he spoke again. "I'm pregnant … Tony."

Anthony DiNozzo Jr. wasn't shocked by very many things. But, this … This completely blew his mind right out of the water. He couldn't even begin to wrap his mind around what he'd just heard. Or what Gibbs had to be going through. In one day, he'd gone from learning that he was going to have a baby to learning that the father of his unborn child was murdered. Tony couldn't even begin to fathom what would happen to him if he'd been in that situation. He'd lost himself in those thoughts and hadn't realized that he'd remained silent for too long until he felt Gibbs withdraw his hand and shrink away from him as if he'd been struck.

"Tony?" Gibbs spoke, finally unable to take the silence any longer.

As the younger man turned to face him, Gibbs watched his face immediately soften as he spoke. "Jethro, I … I'm _so_ sorry … I …" Tony frantically wracked his brain for something – _anything –_ to say to comfort Jethro. But, he just couldn't wrap his mind around the man's pain. "I can't even _begin_ to fathom what you must be going through." He added, sincerely.

Gibbs felt a modicum of relief wash over him at Tony's words. He honestly hadn't known what to expect from him when he told him about the baby. "Tony … I want you to know that … That I don't expect anything from you – I'm not asking for anything-"

"I know, Jethro." Tony replied, warmly. "But, I need you to know that I care about you … And, I want you to know that, if you need anything – anything _at all –_ I want you to know you can come to me – any time, day or night! Okay?" He added, drawing the father-to-be into his strong and comforting embrace. "I mean it. I meant what I said, yesterday – about you not being alone – and I still stand by that, now." He added, adamantly. "This …" He began, gently resting a hand over Jethro's stomach, indicating the developing life inside. " … doesn't change that. You don't have to do this alone."

The gratitude washed over Gibbs like a tidal wave. Deep down, he'd always known that he could count on Tony to have his six. But, he never would have dared to hope for this. The most he thought he could ever hope for was a 'Gee … that's rough.' or 'My sympathies.'. He'd never expected Tony to want to be there by his side during the pregnancy.

"Now …" Tony replied, reverting to his defense mechanism of humor. "Why don't I go see what I can come up with for breakfast?" He offered, flashing Gibbs his famous smile.

Gibbs had to admit … He loved Tony's smile. Tony DiNozzo's smile lit up the room and made him feel like maybe … Just _maybe_ … They could find some way for things to be … Okay … Maybe not the way they were … But, okay, nevertheless. "That sounds good." Gibbs replied, offering Tony a small, weak, smile of his own.

* * *

After a hot shower, Gibbs had dressed and found his way down to the kitchen – lured by the delicious smell of bacon frying. _Well, at least there's one indulgence this little one hasn't taken from me._ He thought to himself, without even realizing that he was doing it again – caressing his still-flat stomach. "Somethin' sure smells good." Gibbs greeted, appreciatively.

"Found the basic ingredients for pancakes …" Tony replied, looking up from the griddle he'd been busied himself with while Gibbs had been in the shower. "And, of course, some bacon." He added, smirking ever so slightly, as he spotted Gibbs stealing a slice out of his peripheral vision. "Ya know if you weren't eating for two, I'd slap your hand and tell ya you'd spoil your appetite." He added, going for levity but mentally slapping himself as he realized that it might be a bit too soon to be making jokes. "Jethro, I'm so sorry-" He began, apologetically, as he turned to the expectant father before Gibbs silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"Rule number six." Gibbs replied, softly. "You never need to apologize to me, Tony." He added, biting off a piece of his strip of bacon. "Especially when you're helping me enjoy one of the few pleasures Lil Bit hasn't taken from me."

Curious, Tony repeated "'Lil Bit'?" Gibbs just smiled as he gestured to his stomach. "Ah." The younger man replied, piecing the puzzle together. "Gotchya."

"Figured that was better than just callin' the baby 'it'. … Least until I find out what 'it' is." Jethro elaborated, polishing off the strip of bacon.

Tony smiled as he realized as he watched Jethro finally start to relax for the first time since Jai's murder. "How do ya take your eggs?" He asked, curiously, pointing at the carton of eggs on the counter with the spatula.

Suddenly, Jethro decided that pancakes covered in peanut butter, topped off with a fried egg and syrup sounded irresistible. _Great … Sounds like the cravings are setting in, already._ He thought to himself, as he replied "Fried. Over-easy." Gibbs replied, simply, fetching the other supplies, setting them out on the table.

By the time he'd finished pouring glasses of orange juice for himself and Tony, the younger man was bringing plates of pancakes, bacon, and eggs, over to the table, as well. "Tony, you really don't have to do all this." Gibbs spoke, a little guiltily.

"I know, I don't, Boss." Tony replied, slipping back into his old nickname for the older man. "But, I _want_ to." He added, softly, as he lightly gripped Gibbs' hand in his own – gently rubbing the the back of his hand with his thumb. "So, please … Let me spoil you a little." He added, more lightly, with a playful wink, as he released Gibbs' hand to dig into his breakfast.

"Keep this up, DiNozzo …" Gibbs began, spreading the peanut butter over his pancakes. "And, you'll be spoiling me more than 'a little'." He finished, smirking softly as he finished with the peanut butter before piling a fried egg on top of his pancakes and drizzling the syrup on top.

Tony smiled as he watched Gibbs putting his breakfast together. "Pregnancy cravings, already?" He quipped, lightly.

"You got a problem with that … DiNozzo?" Gibbs quipped, feeling at ease for the first time since Jai's death.

"Not one bit, Boss." Tony replied, taking a sip of his orange juice. "Not one bit." He finished, digging into his breakfast.

* * *

Later that morning, Leroy Jethro Gibbs found himself in the office of the NCIS director. "Gibbs, you know you got the bereavement time coming to you … Take it." Leon Vance insisted, knowing – full-well that Gibbs would insist on going right back to work after the death of his lover and fully expecting an argument.

"Not arguing, Leon." Gibbs replied, compliantly. Truthfully, he could use the time to tend to Jai's things.

"Damn it, Gibbs! I am _not_ taking 'no' for an answer!" Vance replied, so convinced that Gibbs would fight him that he hadn't registered the special agent's response.

"I'm not _giving_ 'no' for an answer!" Gibbs replied, hands raised in a mock surrender.

Only then did it dawn on Leon that he was not being fought. "You're not?" He questioned his agent, suspiciously. Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was not one to just roll over on command.

"I'm not." Jethro reassured the director. "Things are pretty quiet around here – they really don't need me for anything – and, truth be told … I've got some arrangements that I need to make." He added, cryptically.

"Thought the funeral was yesterday?" Leon questioned, curiously.

"It was." Gibbs replied, though his voiced sounded – even to his own ears – far off and distant. "Those aren't the arrangements I'm talking about." He added, as his hand returned to its new favorite resting place as he looked down at it before looking back up at the director.

Leon Vance may not have been a genius, by any stretch of the imagination. But, he didn't need to be one to figure out what Gibbs was talking about. "I see." He replied, indicating that he understood Gibbs' hidden meaning. "How much time you planning on taking?"

"Just a few days." Gibbs replied. "Just need to get some things sorted out and make some space for a nursery." He added, still struggling to wrap his mind around the fact that he was actually going to have a baby.

"You got it." Leon replied, gently, before excusing the special agent and father-to-be.

* * *

"DiNozzo." Gibbs called out, descending the stairs from the director's office, as the younger man that had spent the night with him and then spoiled him with a homemade breakfast popped his head up at the sound of his name. "McGee." He called out, watching the second member of his team pop his head up as well. "Ziver." He called, watching the young Israeli-American woman perk up, as well. "Campfire." He smirked, reaching the bottom of the stairs.

The team all exchanged curious looks. "You know what this is about?" Timothy McGee questioned, curiously, as his teammates all gathered in the center of their desks.

"We haven't had a case in _weeks_." Ziva David replied, equally curious.

Tony, however, remained silent, suspecting he may already know what this campfire was about. But, he chose to keep his suspicions to himself until Gibbs confirmed them – knowing that it was _Gibbs'_ news to share, and Gibbs' alone. "You've been suspiciously quiet, Tony." McGee spoke, narrowing his eyes at Tony, struggling to get a read on him.

But, before another word could be said on the matter, Gibbs joined the group and broke the silence. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I've gathered you all here." Gibbs began, cryptically.

"Well, now that you mention it, the thought _did_ cross our minds." Ziva replied, sarcastically.

"Well, the truth is … There's something that I need to share with you all …" Gibbs replied, flashing small, soft, smile at Tony. "Something that … I didn't know how to say … Until DiNozzo helped me realize that it was best just to be completely upfront and just get straight to the point." Gibbs continued, building to his point.

"That has always been your style." McGee observed, curiously.

"In deed, it has, McGee." Gibbs smiled, softly. Looking around at the group of agents gathered around him, Gibbs knew Tony was right. He wasn't alone. He trusted each and every one of them to have his back. They were his family – for better or for worse – they stood by each other's side no matter what. He enjoyed their desperately curious looks just a moment longer as he deliberately placed his hand over his stomach before speaking again. "I'm pregnant."

McGee and Ziva both looked at each other bewildered. They'd known there was something weighing heavily on their leader's mind, but, they'd just chalked it up to the death of his lover. Then, a sad understanding materialized on both of their faces as they both offered their sympathies.

"I am … _so_ very sorry." Ziva replied, before being interrupted by McGee.

"Me too, Boss I can't even-" McGee piled on before being silenced by the wave of Gibbs' hand.

"No need to apologize." Gibbs replied, softly. "I'm not looking for sympathy." He elaborated. "I just wanted to share the news with the family that I have left." He added, just as he heard the clunking of three-inch platform boots approaching behind him.

"What news, Gibbs?" Abby Sciuto questioned, curious about the strange looks on McGee and Ziva's faces. And, even more curious as to why Tony seemed so unfazed by whatever news had shocked and dumbfounded the other two agents. "What's goin' on, guys?" She asked.

"Gibbs is pregnant!" Ziva and McGee exclaimed in unison. Just then, they realized that it was Gibbs' news to tell and not theirs. "Sorry." They muttered, once again, in unison, as Gibbs just offered them a forgiving glance.

Sympathetic realization washed over Abby as she set her CafPow down on the nearest desk before throwing her arms around the man she'd grown to love as a father. "Oh my God!" She cooed, sadly! "Oh my God, Gibbs! I am _so_ sorry!" She added, though muffled by Gibbs' shoulder.

"'Sokay, Abs." Gibbs replied, holding the forensic specialist a moment longer before pulling away to look her in the eye. "Like I told everyone else. 'm not lookin' for sympathy." He reiterated, softly. "Just wanted you all to know that our little family's gonna get a little bigger, in a few months."

* * *

 _Three Weeks Later_

* * *

"I told ya you didn't have to do this, Tony." Gibbs reiterated, after Tony had insisted on accompanying him to his ten-week ultrasound.

"And, _I_ told _you_ … I'm not doing this because I have to or I feel some sort of obligation to you." Tony replied, fully sincere. "I'm doing this because I _want_ to." He added, raising his elbow toward the father-to-be. "Your chariot awaits, sir." He added, in a playfully fake accent – earning himself a small smile from the expectant father, as he accepted the proffered elbow.

"Jethro!" Dr. Foken greeted brightly. "Just wanted to tell you how sorry I was to hear about Jai." She added, more seriously. Gibbs just waved his hand dismissively as if to indicate that her condolences were not necessary. "But, I'm just glad to see if you have someone so supportive of you." She added, turning toward Tony. "Dr. Rosalie Foken." She introduced herself, warmly, as she extended her hand to Tony.

" _Very_ Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo." Tony introduced in his typical, over-the-top fashion, as he accepted the proffered hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, _Very_ Special Agent DiNozzo." Dr. Foken grinned, returning her focus to Gibbs.

"Please don't encourage him." Gibbs replied, playfully.

"Of course." Dr. Foken replied, knowingly, before returning to business. "Now, Jethro, I'm going to need you to take off your pants." She began, turning to Tony. "And, Mr. DiNozzo, I'm going to have to ask you to step outside while I conduct the physical examination." She added, regretfully.

Gibbs caught the uncertain look on Tony's face and his reluctance to leave him alone. "'Sokay, DiNozzo." Gibbs assured his young friend. "I'll be all right."

With a knowing smile tugging at her lips, Dr. Foken turned to Tony. "Don't worry, Tony … You can come back in for the ultrasound." She added, gently. "That's the really fun part, anyway." She added, playfully.

Reluctantly, Tony knew he had to respect the doctor's orders. "Okay." He decided, stepping outside the door.

Dr. Foken prepped her supplied as Jethro stripped from the waist down before propping his feet up in the stirrups. "You're a very lucky man, Leroy Jethro Gibbs." Dr. Foken smiled, as she began the physical examination.

"How do ya figure?" Gibbs questioned, wincing slightly at the various poking and prodding sensations in his nether regions. "The father of my unborn child was murdered almost a month ago – the same day I found out about this little miracle." He reasoned. "Exactly what part a that's supposed to be 'lucky'?" He questioned. It was true – he'd come a long way for such a short period of time and he owed it all to Tony and the team's support. But, the nights were the hardest part – the nights that Tony didn't spend with him. The nights when he was forced to go to bed alone. When he cried himself to sleep when he couldn't escape the memories.

"Oh, come on, Jethro." Dr. Foken replied, peeking up from her exam. "You're a smart guy. I'm sure you've seen the way Tony looks at you." She reasoned, resuming the examination.

"And, exactly what way is that?" Gibbs questioned, curiously.

Hiding her smirk behind the paper blanket that covered her patient's legs, Dr. Foken replied. "The same way Jai did." Before Gibbs could process what he'd just heard, the doctor backed away from the exam table. "There. All done. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Gibbs could only shake his head numbly as her previous words echoed in his mind. _Could it really be possible?_ He wondered, thinking back. _Could Tony really look at me the way Jai always used to?_ As he looked back, Gibbs couldn't recall a time when that had been the case. But, before he could examine the issue too closely, the doctor spoke up, once more.

"Do you have any questions … comments … concerns … for me?" The OB/GYN questioned, curiously.

Shaking his head clear of thoughts of DiNozzo, Gibbs wracked his mind for any questions regarding the pregnancy when one question did come to mind. "Is this normal?" He asked, gesturing to his already-visible 'bump'.

"Well, I think the best way to answer that would be to bring your friend back in here and get the ultrasound started." Dr. Foken replied, smiling softly, as she handed Jethro's clothes back to him. "Why don't you get dressed, and we can do just that?" She suggested, warmly.

Eager to get the scan underway, Gibbs nodded as he redressed, quickly, before the doctor moved to let Tony back into the room before being halted with a wave of Jethro's hand. "Allow me." He spoke with a playful grin. "DiNozzo! Get in here!" He barked, watching the young SFA practically bound back into the room.

"You bellowed, Boss?" DiNozzo smirked, glad to be back in the room with Gibbs.

"We were just about to get started on the ultrasound." Dr. Foken replied, as she readied her instruments. "Now, just lay back." She instructed, turning her focus to Gibbs. "And, pull up your shirt, for me, Jethro." She added, as she retrieved a bottle of clear jelly from the rolling table she'd pulled over to the exam table. As Gibbs did as he was ordered, the doctor snapped on a fresh pair of gloves as she spoke again. "Now, this is going to be cold a little sticky." She warned as she dispensed a liberal amount of the jelly onto the expectant father's 'bump'.

Tony watched Gibbs flinched ever-so-slightly at the startling cold sensation of the jelly spreading across his stomach before taking the older man's hand in his own as a reflex. Gibbs tried not to read too much into the small act that he'd come to find so comforting that he craved it all hours of the day and night. Shaking his mind clear, he focused on the screen in front of them as the doctor applied the probe to his skin. "Wow." He breathed, awestruck, by the sight of his baby on the screen as the sound of the baby's rapid heartbeat filled the room.

"Is it supposed to be so … Fast?" Tony questioned, his eyes transfixed on the screen before him, in wonder.

"Fetal heart rates are typically much faster than the average adults." Dr. Foken assured the young man. "It's perfectly normal." She assured him.

"It's … it's beautiful." Tony breathed, in pure awe of the sight of Jethro's baby on the screen before them.

"Yeah." Gibbs breathed, his eyes transfixed on the image of his baby on the screen. He couldn't believe how one picture could take his breath away so effectively. He'd been deployed overseas when Shannon'd been pregnant with Kelly. He'd never gotten be privy to this part of pregnancy. And, even if he had, he failed to see how it could have ever prepared him for this.

Sensing the two men might need a moment alone, Dr. Foken quickly printed off two copies of the scan – handing one to each of the agents before her. "I thought you two might want these." She offered, in understanding, as she put away her supplies and cleaned the jelly off of Gibbs' stomach. "I'll just give you two a moment." She added, before focusing on Jethro. "Jethro, just be sure to schedule a follow-up appointment with the front desk on your way out. I wanna see you again in five weeks." She added, with a small smile. "I'll be able to tell you the sex, then, if you like." Dr. Foken added, brightly. "Assuming the little one's are being cooperative and lets us get a good look, that is." She quickly amended. "Have you thought about whether or not you'd like to learn the sex of your baby?" That was one question Gibbs hadn't thought about. He wasn't sure how to answer that. Seeing the look on Jethro's face, Dr. Foken replied "Perhaps you can take the next five weeks to think about it and decide when you come back." She suggested as she quietly took her leave.

As the doctor stepped out of the room, Tony turned and watched Gibbs pull his shirt back down into place. "I still can't believe this is really happening." He heard the older man whisper, quietly, as he stared at the printout in his hand. "How can something be so real and so _unreal_ all at the same time?" He questioned, looking up into Tony's eyes with an expression so lost it took the younger agent's breath away.

After finally remembering how to breathe, again, Tony sat down next to Gibbs on the exam table. Ruffling a hand through his hair, Tony wished with all he had that he could find an answer for Gibbs. "Maybe …" He sighed, lightly. "Maybe because … Because it's everything you ever wanted but just … never dared to let yourself hope for …" He offered, mentally slapping himself as he realized what he'd just said. "Or, at least … _almost_ everything." He amended guiltily.

Gibbs understood what Tony was trying to do. "Thanks, Tony …" He replied, quietly, as he took the younger man's hand in his own, staring him straight in the eye. "For everything, Tony … I couldn't imagine doing any of this without you." He replied, sincerely.

"Anytime, Jethro." Tony smiled, warmly, wrapping his other hand around their entwined hands. "But, you're wrong, you know." He added, warmly. "You could do this on your own, Jethro. You're a hell of a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. That little one couldn't have asked for a better father to bring her into the world."

Smiling softly, Gibbs replied. "And, I couldn't ask for a better man to stand by my side as I do just that." Tony silently swallowed around the rapidly growing lump in his throat. He didn't know what to say to that, so, he let his actions speak for themselves. Standing from the table, he carefully pulled Gibbs up with him before wrapping him up in a warm embrace.

"Always, Jethro." Tony quietly assured the father-to-be. "I will _always_ be by your side."

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
** Whew! That was a long chapter! 14 pages! Well, I hope you all enjoyed this little snippet! Don't forget to drop me a review!

~Skye Coulson


	4. You're Gonna Be Always Loved By Me

**Going the Distance**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:  
** You know the drill.

 **Rating:  
** M

 **Genre:  
** Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family

 **Pairing:  
** Tibbs

 **Lyrics Used:  
** Reba McEntire "You're Gonna Be"  
Red "Pieces"

* * *

You're Gonna Be Always Loved By Me

* * *

 _Sometimes, I'll protect you from everything that's wrong | Other times, I'll let you just find out on your own | But, that's when you'll be growin' | And, the whole time I'll be knowin'_

 _You're gonna fly with every dream you chase | You're gonna cry, but, know that that's okay | You're gonna see that sometimes, bad is good | We just have to believe that things work out like they should | Life has no guarantees | But, always loved by me | You're gonna be_

* * *

"Today's the big day." Tony spoke, carefully, unsure of where the expectant father-to-be was, emotionally. "You know what you wanna do?" He asked, cautiously.

Sighing lightly, Gibbs rubbed the ever-growing bump. He couldn't believe he was already fifteen weeks pregnant and that Jai had been gone for two months, already. It still hurt like hell to think about what had happened to the father of his child. But, having Tony around had mitigated the pain to some degree. And his doctor's observations had been on his mind every day. Upon closer inspection, Tony really had gone above and beyond the call of Friendship Duty. He'd spent more nights at Gibbs' house than his own home – all purely at Jethro's own request. He'd also held him close as he cried his way through nightmare after nightmare. And, he couldn't deny that he'd felt an immediate attraction to Tony the moment they met all those years ago in Baltimore. If he hadn't been with Jai when he'd met Tony, he would have pursued that attraction. And, now that he was gone … He was having more and more _highly_ inappropriate thoughts and fantasies of Tony.

"Jethro?" Somewhere in the back of his mind, Gibbs heard Tony calling his name. Though, it sounded far off and distant. "Jethro?!" The younger man called a little louder, finally breaking through the fog in Gibbs' mind. "You still with me?"

"Sorry." Jethro muttered, rubbing his 'bump'. "Just … got a lot on my mind … That's all." He added, chalking his lusty thoughts up to the pregnancy hormones messing with his sex drive.

"It's quite all right." Tony replied, smiling supportively as he guided Jethro to his car.

* * *

The drive to the OB/GYN's office started off in silence as Jethro searched for a way to reconcile his growing feelings for Tony with the guilt that he still felt for feeling this way so soon after Jai's death. Tony could tell there was a lot on Gibbs' mind – a lot that he still needed to sort out. He wanted to ask, but, sensed that Gibbs' needed to sort this out for himself and knew that he would speak up if he needed him.

Looking down at the firm rounding bump, Gibbs caressed the growing mound as he finally spoke up – his voice soft and full of the thoughts weighing on his mind. "I know what I wanna do."

Mildly startled by the sudden break in the silence, Tony almost jumped as he asked "Yeah? What did you decide?"

"I wanna know." Gibbs replied, smiling thoughtfully – his eyes never leaving his 'baby bump'. "I never got to … got to be part of any of this when Shannon was pregnant … I want to make the most of every part, now. I wanna know everything – everything that's going on in there …" He elaborated, unable to stop the smile growing on his face.

"Okay." Tony smiled, taking Jethro's hand in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Let's go find out if that's a little Marine or a little Marin-ette bun you got in that oven o' yours!"

Gibbs finally released the first full-bodied, hearty, care-free laugh since the death of his lover. For once, he was letting go of the past and embracing the uncertainty of the future. Because as he long as he Tony by his side … The future couldn't possibly be all bad.

* * *

"All right, Mr. DiNozzo." Dr. Rosalie Foken stated as she prepared for the physical examination portion of the appointment. "I'm sure you remember the drill." She added, gesturing toward the door. However, she was soon interrupted by her own patient.

"Actually, doc …" Gibbs spoke up, carefully and deliberately – never taking his eyes off of Tony. "I'd like 'im to stay …" He added, pausing for a beat, before turning back to the doctor. "If that's all right." He amended, quietly.

Smiling knowingly, the doctor could tell there was something very special between the two men in her exam room. Even if they hadn't, yet, realized it. Or admitted it to themselves. Whichever the case may have been. "Of course." She replied, warmly, as Gibbs began undressing for the exam.

Just because he was staying for the physical exam portion of the appointment, Tony still knew well-enough to respect Jethro's privacy – despite all of his naughty fantasies of his boss and dear friend. Turning his back to the undressing father-to-be, Tony could hear the faint chuckle bubbling forth from the older man's chest. "I heard that, Boss." He chided, amusement evident in his voice.

"You can turn around, now, DiNozzo." Gibbs called to the younger man, a bemused smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he watched his SFA turn back around to join him at the side of the exam table.

"How've you been holding up?" The OB/GYN questioned, carefully, as she continued her exam.

Gibbs sighed, lightly. He really was getting tired of that question. He was dealing with the death of the lover in his own time and in his own way. Why did people constantly feel the need to poke their noses in his business? That was what he appreciated so much about Tony. The younger man knew him well enough to trust him to come to him if and when he was ready. He never poked, never prodded. Let Gibbs come to him in his own time. He respected that. "As well as can be expected, doc." He replied, his voice clearly telling the doctor to back off with that line of questioning.

Tony could sense Gibbs tensing up and gave his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. He watched as the father-to-be sighed as he squeezed back. "Yes, of course." The doctor replied, apologetically, as she finished the physical exam. "Well, everything looks good from this end." She added, prepping her ultrasound equipment while Tony – once again – turned his back to afford Gibbs some privacy as he redressed, only turning back around when Gibbs tugged on the back of Tony's shirt – indicating that it was safe for him to turn around.

"All right, Jethro, you know the drill." Dr. Foken spoke, turning to face the expectant father-to-be as she watched him pulling his shirt up over his 'bump'. "My, my … The little one's sure getting big, aren't they?" She smiled, observing the slightly noticeable increase in size. "Just like last time, this is gonna be a bit cold and sticky."

"You're right, doc …" Gibbs smiled, softly. "I know the drill."

With the last preparation made, the doctor turned back to Gibbs and Tony. "All right, Jethro … Would you like to know what you're having?" She asked, smiling excitedly. She always loved this part of her job.

Tony and Gibbs shared knowing smiles and squeezes of the hand before they turned back to the doctor as Gibbs spoke. "Yes … I wanna know." He replied, repeating his words from the car.

"All right, then …" Dr. Foken replied, turning on the ultrasound monitor. "Let's take a look, shall we?" She added, turning to examine the monitor. The OB/GYN shifted the probe around the surface of Gibbs' stomach until she finally located the baby within. With a few more minute adjustments, she smiled as she finally got a good look at the baby. "Congratulations, Jethro." She smiled, turning back to face Gibbs – scarcely able to contain her excitement. "You've got a healthy, beautiful, little baby girl growing in there!"

For once in his life, Leroy Jethro Gibbs was absolutely and utterly speechless as he stared at the picture of his little baby girl on the screen before him. Speak – hell … He couldn't eve _breathe_. It seemed that God was finally making restitution for the little girl He'd stolen from Gibbs all those years ago. He was finally getting the second chance he'd prayed for millions of times over. Finally, he found just enough of a voice to muster up a breathless whisper as he squeezed Tony's hand tightly. "It's a girl."

"The most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Tony added, his eyes transfixed on the screen in front of him – his mind only peripherally aware of the grip on his own hand. Finally, he tore his eyes away from the monitor long enough to look over at Jethro and he noticed the tears stealing from the father-to-be's eyes.

Seeing the looks being exchanged between the two men, the doctor printed off two printouts – leaving them on the counter for the two men – as she cleared her throat awkwardly. "I'll just leave these on the counter for you, two." She spoke as she cleaned the jelly off of Jethro's stomach. "If you want more for your friends, just let the ladies at the front desk know, and, they'll be happy to get you as many as you need." She added. "I'll just give you two a moment." She smiled, lingering in the door way a moment before finishing with "Jethro, don't forget to make your next follow-up appointment before you leave." She reminded him before taking her leave.

As he pulled his shirt back down over his stomach, Gibbs' mind was a million miles away. Words could not even _begin_ to describe how he felt – knowing that he would be soon welcoming a second daughter into his life. He was torn between euphoric joy over learning that he was having a daughter and the deepest depths of sadness over the knowledge that Kelly would never get to know the joys of welcoming a new baby sister into her life.

"Talk to me." Tony's warm and gentle words finally broke through the haze in his mind as Gibbs' unfocused eyes turned toward him as the younger man tenderly wiped the tears from Jethro's face.

"I'm not cryin' for her." Gibbs muttered, laying a hand over his stomach. "I'm cryin' for Kelly …" He added, sadly.

Tony understood and respected that the scars left by Gibbs' first wife and daughter would never fully heal – they had only scabbed over. He knew that Jai's death and now the news that he was having another daughter had to have ripped those scabs open – leaving the wounds raw and exposed. "We'll stop by my place on the way back … I just need to grab a few things." Tony knew Gibbs would be needing him for a few days – at least. And, he wasn't about to leave the older man's side for anything in the world.

Jethro understood the underlying meaning of Tony's words. And, he appreciated them. "Thank you." He replied, his voice thick and watery – shaking with the force of tears that he refused to let fall – as Tony escorted him back out to the front to schedule the next follow up appointment.

* * *

 _Later that Night_

* * *

 _I tried so hard So hard | I tried so hard_

 _Then, I see your face | I know I'm finally yours | I find everything I thought I lost before | You call my name | I come to you in pieces | So you can make me whole | So you can make me whole_

* * *

Tony and Jethro had invited all their friends from their NCIS and – in Jethro's case – CIA families to come by Gibbs' home to celebrate their great news. Abby, Ziva, McGee, Annie, Tony and Jethro all sat gathered around Gibbs' living room, ogling over the ultrasound printouts. "Congratulations, Leroy!" Annie cheered, raising her glass to her brother. "I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we couldn't be happier for you!" She spoke, smiling at the chorus of cheers and agreements from all those around her.

The party continued for a couple of hours until everyone began to grow tired and they all said their goodbyes, congratulating the proud father-to-be, before taking their leaves – leaving only Tony and Jethro alone. Tony sensed Jethro's own exhaustion and sent him up to bed, promising to tidy up the living room before joining him.

As Jethro finished showering and changing for the night, he sat himself down on the foot of the bed – lost in the endless magnitude of thoughts racing through his head. Nothing – none of them made any semblance of sense to him. He missed Jai like hell and wished – more than he could ever put into words – that he was there with him, celebrating the news that they would soon be welcoming a beautiful baby girl into their lives. But, he also knew that there was definitely an increasingly strong connection between himself and Tony. And, if he'd never met Jai, he and Tony probably would have gotten together. Hell … Tony might have been the father of the little girl growing and developing inside him. All he knew – for sure – was that he desperately needed to feel something. Something _real_.

Just then, he was drawn out of his reverie as he watched Tony walk into the room. They locked eyes as the younger man was trying to make sense of the look on Gibbs' face. Before he could process what was happening, Jethro had risen off of the bed and crossed the room – pulling him into a fierce, searing kiss. In the moment, Tony's mind was stunned - unable to process what was happening. _Holy shit! … Leroy Jethro Gibbs is kissing me! …_ He thought to himself as he felt his body reacting of its own accord. However, his mind soon snapped back to reality. _No … No, this is wrong … Jai just died_ two months ago _… Gibbs is still hurting … He's still recovering from that trauma … You can't take advantage of him, like this._ He told himself as he ripped himself away from Jethro's passionate embrace.

"What …" Gibbs breathed, staring into Tony's eyes like a puppy that had just been struck on the nose with a rolled up newspaper. "What're you …" He stammered, helplessly. "Don't … Don't you … Don't you want me?" He elaborated, finally finding the words. Everything was telling him that Tony wanted him – even Dr. Foken, herself. How could this be wrong? How could Tony be turning him down – pushing him away?

 _God, yes, I want you!_ Tony thought to himself, fighting like hell against the lust clouding his mind. _Oh, how I want you!_ "Yes …" Tony breathed, quietly. "Yes, Jethro … I want you – I want _this …_ " He paused, momentarily, to gesture between the two of them with his hand. " … more than you will ever know."

"Then … Then, _why_?" Jethro begged,quietly – breathlessly.

Sighing, heavily, Tony took Jethro's hands in his own as he stared straight into the other man's piercing blue eyes. "Because I …" _love you._ He finished the words that he didn't dare say aloud only in his own mind. " … You're in a vulnerable place, right now …" He elaborated, opting for the safety of pointing out the obvious. "Jai just died two months ago-"

Ripping his hands free of Tony's grip, Gibbs whirled around to pace around the room, frustrated. "God _damn it_!" He shouted, his frustration boiling over. " _Why_ does _every_ body insist on pointing that out?!" He demanded, angrily. "I _loved_ the man! So, yes, I remember _exactly_ when he died! I remember laying him in the ground! I remember **_everything_**!" He screamed, tears flowing his cheeks. Though, he was too emotionally spent to give a damn.

"Look, all I'm saying …" Tony began, reaching out to Jethro – ignoring the pain that ripped through his heart as the older man wrenched himself free of his grasp. " … is that … as much as I want this … I could _never_ forgive myself for taking advantage of you like that!"

"Well, aren't you just a damn prince!" Gibbs spat, not knowing what to do or how to feel.

"Jethro, please-" Tony replied, pleading with Jethro to calm down and let him in, only to be cut off and shut down.

"Get out." Jethro's voice was quiet with just the slightest traces of a tremor in it. But, Tony could tell he meant every word.

"Jeth-" Tony began, hoping to make one last desperate plea, though, he would never be afforded that luxury.

"Get. Out." Jethro growled, pointing toward the door. Tony sighed, knowing that he would get nowhere with the older man until he'd had time to cool off.

Raising his hands in a mock surrender, he spoke carefully yet deliberately. "Okay. … I'll go … But, Je … Gibbs … I just want you to know … If you need anything … You know I'll come running." Having said his peace, Tony knew the best thing he could do for Jethro in that moment was to do exactly as he'd asked and took his leave, leaving the older man alone with his thoughts.

Slamming the door behind Tony, Gibbs just ran his hands over his face and through his hair as he slumped down to the floor – leaning against the door. The tears were streaming freely now as he rested his head in his hands between his knees. Staring down at the bump in his stomach, he cradled the 'baby bump' in his hands – as if it were the most precious thing in the world – as he spoke softly to the little baby girl inside. "Sorry, princess … Daddy really screwed this one up, royally …" He muttered, quietly, before rising to his feet and crossing the room to crawl into bed. Curling up, under the covers, Gibbs pulled the blankets tight around himself – trying and failing shield himself from the cold caused by the lack of Tony's warm arms wrapped around him – as he cried himself to sleep.

* * *

Back in his own apartment, Tony aimlessly wandered to his bedroom – shedding his clothes as he went. Once in the bedroom, Tony's mind was back at the house he'd just left – with the owner of his heart – as he stripped down and changed into an old wife-beater and a pair of old sweats.

Sighing heavily, the young NCIS agent crawled into bed, unable to shake the images of the fight with Jethro from his head. Curling up into a ball, under the covers, Tony pulled the blankets tight around himself as he tried to pretend that he wasn't freezing without Jethro's body perfectly molded to his – wrapped securely in his arms – as one last thought crossed his mind before he cried himself to sleep. _Please don't hate me, Jethro._

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
** OMG, the FEELS in this one, huh? Believe me, I have _no_ idea where the idea for that fight came from! It just occurred to me while I was writing and I went with it. But, don't worry, everyone! There is an epically romantic make up scene in store for our boys! First four (4) _signed_ reviews will get a sneak peek at chapter 5! Enjoy!

~Skye Coulson


	5. Hello, Heartache

**Going the Distance**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:  
** You know the drill. I own nothing save for Aubrie Allen and Staci Schulz.

 **Rating:  
** M

 **Genre:  
** Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family

 **Lyrics Used:  
** Avril Lavigne "Hello Heartache"

* * *

Hello Heartache

* * *

 _I seen your best side | You got to see my worst | It's not the first time | But, this one really hurts | Oh, oh | Yeah, this one's gonna … It hurts_

 _Goodbye my friend | Hello heartache | It's not the end | It's not the same | Wish it didn't have to be this way but | You will always mean the world, to me, love | Goodbye my friend | Hello heartache_

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs suddenly found himself sitting at the Vesta diner, just on the outskirts of town. He remembered it well. It was where Jai had taken him on their first date. He remembered the day, fondly, as he absently caressed his growing baby bump. He welcomed the fond memory as a much-needed distraction from his colossal screw-up with Tony. Honestly, he didn't know how the younger man would ever forgive him for reacting the way he had. Tony'd been right to turn him away. He was grasping at straws – that's no way to begin a serious relationship.

"You always did have trouble expressing yourself." Jethro's heart stopped as he heard an ever-familiar voice call out to him from behind. It was a voice he never expected to hear again. Turning to confirm his hopes, he saw none other than Jai Wilcox striding toward the booth where he sat.

"Jai?" The choked whisper that escaped Jethro's lips sounded foreign, even to his own ears. "What … I don't … You're-"

"Dead?" Jai supplied, smiling at his lover's befuddled expression. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm still dead, all right." He added, rather bluntly, though his voice sounded as if it were the most casual thing in the world to say.

"What're you doin' here, Jai?" Jethro whispered, his mind struggling to make sense of everything.

"I'm here, because, you need to let me go, Jethro." Jai replied, getting right to business. "I know you've been holding onto your memories of me – wishing I could be here with you and our baby girl." He added, somewhat wistfully. "And, believe me … I didn't want to leave you guys, either. My best guy and my best girl … Who would ever want to walk away from that?"

"Then, why did you?" Jethro asked, desperately. He'd asked himself that very same question, countless times. "What was so important that you had to risk your life to go against your own agency? That it got you _killed_?!" He demanded, his voice trembling and cracking and breaking.

"You know I can't tell you that." Jai replied, softly. "It would put you and our daughter in danger. I can't risk that."

"Oh, so you'll protect _me_ with your life, but, you have no problems endangering my baby sister?!" Jethro demanded, his heartbreak turning to anger.

"I didn't have a choice." Jai insisted, urgently. "What I had to tell Annie directly _involved_ her! I was trying to give her a fighting chance!" Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts, the young Indian-American man continued. "Look … That's not why I'm here, right now."

"Then … Why _are_ you here, Jai?" Jethro begged, quietly, struggling to make sense of this.

"I'm here because I can't – and I _won't –_ let you ruin your relationship with Tony." Jai replied, gently. "He really cares about you, Jethro. He really loves you."

"He does?" Jethro questioned, breathlessly, not daring to believe what he'd heard.

"Yes, he does." Jai reiterated. "I wouldn't be here, if he didn't. I see the way he looks at you … " He added, smiling fondly at the guilty look on Jethro's face. "Don't look like that." He chastised, gently. "You deserve to be happy, Jethro. I _want_ you to be happy. Tony loves you – and our daughter – more than you'll ever know."

"He does?" Jethro questioned, repeating his previous question. He couldn't believe what was happening. His late lover was – essentially – giving him permission to move on. Hell, he was practically _ordering_ him to do so.

"Yes." Jai chuckled. "And, you know you need him." He added, firmly, yet gently all at the same time.

Jethro couldn't argue with that. "I still miss you, ya know." He offered, quietly, lamely.

"I miss you, too." Jai smiled, wistfully. "But, I'm your _past_ … And, Tony DiNozzo is your present _and_ your _future_. … Don't let him get away." He added, rising from his seat as he slid into the booth, next to Jethro, as he rested a hand on his lover's stomach where their daughter grew and developed. "I will always be with you, Jethro. In her heart as well as yours. …" He smiled as he felt his daughter kicking against the palm of his hand. "And, I will always love you, Jethro." He finished, planting the ghost of a kiss to Jethro's lips before rising from his seat and – without a word – and took his leave.

Jethro watched him walk out the door of the diner and out to his car. His heart began to pound in his chest as he recalled Annie informing him that Jai had been killed by a bomb planted in his car. Thrusting his fingers against the glass as he watched in horror, expecting to see Jai's car go up in a burst of flames. However, to his shock and awe, Jethro breathed a sigh of relief as the engine roared to life as the car drove away – disappearing down the road.

* * *

Jethro woke that morning to a new sense of hope that he hadn't felt since the day Jai died. He'd begun to let himself think that there could possibly be a future for himself and his SFA. Though, that begged the question of how to broach the subject with the younger man. He'd seriously messed things up, last night, with Tony. Tony was just trying to do the right thing and Jethro'd been too damn proud to admit it and his pride had been his undoing as he all but threw Tony out on the street.

Sighing heavily, Jethro knew he had to do something to make things up to the younger man. A pang of guilt shot through him like a bullet as he knew that all he had to do was walk up to Tony and say 'I'm sorry' and Tony would welcome him back with open arms. _Jai was right._ He told himself. For better or worse, Tony truly loved and cared for him. _And, I don't deserve a lick of it._ He thought to himself, bitterly as he rose from the bed, crossing over to the en suite bathroom to shower for the day.

* * *

Back in his own apartment, Tony sighed as he rolled over and aimlessly slapped at his nightstand until the incessant buzzing of the alarm that had disturbed his already fitful and restless sleep was finally silenced. There, lying on his back as he stared up at ceiling, Tony debated within his own mind whether to call Jethro or not. He wanted to check in with the older man. But, he wasn't sure if the older man would be receptive or not. Sighing heavily, he knew would be best to just back off and let Jethro come to him. In his own time and in his own way. He couldn't force the issue.

Knowing that he would be late for work, Tony reluctantly rolled over and climbed out of bed and headed for the shower. As the hot water cascaded over his body, Tony sighed. He'd known he'd done the right thing. But, he hated himself for causing Jethro so much pain. God knows the man had been through enough already. And, now, he was going through it all alone. Punching the wall of his shower, Tony cursed himself as he tried to clear his mind of those thoughts as he finished his shower and stepped back out – wrapping a towel around his middle – into the bedroom to begin dressing for the day.

* * *

"So, how ya like workin' for Lena?" August 'Auggie' Anderson asked his former operative. He had been Annie's handler up until Jai's death and Annie had been transferred to a different division where she'd been working under Lena Smith. He knew Lena was tough to work for, but, he also knew Annie could handle it.

Sighing, Annie replied "I don't know." She admitted. "First, Lena assigns me an op … Get close to a venture capitalist and suspected KGB operative – Simon Fischer – which was going well! I was making real progress-"

"I know." Auggie interjected, knowingly. He'd always had an acute sense of what was going on in his best friend's life. Maybe that was because of the fact that he'd long ago fallen in love with the younger Gibbs sibling.

"You know?" Annie replied, confused.

"I know you've been sleeping with him." Auggie deadpanned – never one to beat around the bush. "Which is fine … As long as you're able to separate the personal from the professional." He added, reminding Annie that the line between the two was not always clear-cut.

"There may en lie the problem." Annie replied, hesitantly. After another moment of silent hesitation, she finally continued. "Look, I know I'm not supposed to discuss this with you … But, Lena officially ordered me to end the op and she sent me back to the DPD." She conceded.

"So, I get my coffee-courier back." Auggie supplied, with a cheeky smile.

Annie replied with only a bemused chuckle as she continued on with her story. "The problem is … I don't think Simon can separate the two." She spoke, softly, recalling all that Simon Fischer had done for her. "I think Simon's in love with me."

"I see." Auggie grinned at the pun as he waved toward his own un-seeing eyes. "And, you don't feel the same?" He ventured, carefully.

"No." Annie replied as Auggie could hear the falter in her voice. "But, I can't just cut bait and run on this either! I have made … so much more progress in this op and if I cut bait and run, now, the CIA's gonna lose a possible asset, permanently." She reasoned, drawing a sip of her coffee before continuing. "If I drop this, now, Simon's gonna become Fort Knox. Nobody's ever gonna get anywhere near him, again."

"Someone sure sounds more than a little cocky." Auggie quipped, cleverly.

"Cockiness is fine." Annie replied, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "As long as you got the skills to back it up."

* * *

As she pulled into her driveway, Annie heard her cellphone ring. Pulling the phone from her purse, she smiled when the caller ID read _Auggie_. "Change your mind about that drink?" She greeted, smiling. Though, the smile soon faded as Auggie replied.

"Where are you?" The urgency in Auggie's voice already had Annie on edge.

"Auggie?" Annie questioned, only to be interrupted.

"You need to come back to Langley." Auggie insisted.

Sighing, Annie replied "It's been a long day … Do you think this can wait until tomorrow?" She asked, hoping to put off whatever work they wanted of her in favor of a glass of wine – perhaps something stronger – and a long hot bubble bath.

"No." Auggie replied, sharply. "It can't. OIG has a team going through your desk." He elaborated, hoping to get through to Annie.

"Why?" Annie wondered, her attention suddenly perked. "What's happening?"

"I'm not sure." Auggie conceded – hating being left in the dark when it came to Annie. "But, you need to get back here and get in front of this thing." He insisted.

"Get in front of _what_?!" Annie questioned, almost pleadingly. Turning, she peered through the back door into her kitchen where she saw none other than Simon Fischer leaning on her counter – clearly waiting for her. "Uh – Can I call you back?" She asked, thrown for a loop as she had been unaware that Simon was even in DC – let alone in her house – hanging up the phone without waiting for a response.

Opening the door, she stared at Simon unsure of why he was there or how he'd even gotten into her house, to begin with. "What're you doing here?" She asked, breathlessly.

"I don't want to lose you, either." Simon replied, referring to their conversation earlier in the day when Annie'd begged him to come into Langley with her – knowing what an invaluable asset he would be.

Stepping into her kitchen and setting her things on the counter, Annie repeated her question. "What're you doing here, Simon?"

"I couldn't leave you." Simon replied, opening himself up in a rare show of vulnerability.

"You … ready to turn yourself into the agency?" Annie questioned, hopefully.

"Kinda late to walk in waving a white flag, don't you think?" Simon replied, staring at Annie.

"There's a target on your back." Annie conceded. "But, Langley can provide asylum-"

"I didn't come for asylum." Simon interjected, the faintest traces of a smile tugging at his lips. "I came for _you_."

"We can go in, together." Annie replied, hoping to persuade Simon. "You can tell them _your_ side of the story!"

"What 'story'?" Simon questioned, almost chuckling at the absurdity of it all. "I've never even seen my contact's face."

"You can trade them for other intel." Annie reasoned. "Cuba … A-and the listening array …"

Staring down at his feet, Simon replied "I've been a spy virtually all my life." He conceded, quietly. "Distrustful … ever since I was a _boy_ …" He added, squeezing Annie's hands in his own. Finally looking back up to meet Annie's gaze, he added "And, I'm tired of the lies."

"It's part of the game." Annie replied, interested to see where Simon was going with this.

"Exactly." Simon agreed. "It's a game … One that we don't even _play_. We just get moved around like chess pieces." The man argue, through his thick English accent.

"There's more to it, than that." Annie argued, softly.

Smiling softly, Simon moved his hand to lightly cup the back of Annie's head as he placed a feather-light kiss to her lips. "I hate to burst your bubble, but, no … There isn't." Watching as Annie shifted her gaze downward, Simon spoke again – after a moment of silence. "Come away with me." He breathed – his voice scarcely above a whisper. Empowered by Annie's gaze returning to his, he pressed onward. "Leave this all behind."

"How?" Annie asked, stunned at what Simon was asking of her. And, stunned that she was actually considering it. "We work for two of the _top_ spy agencies _in the world_." She reasoned, knowing that someone would eventually find them – no matter where they went. Also scared that – on some level – some part of her wanted him to have a brilliant plan to never be found. "They'd find us in weeks."

"There's a small island off the Maldives." Simon replied, his eyes boring straight into Annie's. "Reachable only by fishing boat. It's completely off the grid. I've spent the better part of the last ten years cultivating a false identity. Bank statements, credit cards, driver's license – it's rock solid. I'll provide cover for you, as well." He assured the younger blonde before him.

"It sounds like …" Annie replied, dumbfounded by the smile tugging at her lips. " … you've really thought this through." She added, disturbed that it wasn't harder to fight the little voice in the back of her head telling her not to go through with this. A voice that sounded suspiciously like her older brother.

"Our flight into Dubai leaves in the morning." Simon informed her. "Quick stop off to empty a few bank accounts and we can be in Marley the day after tomorrow." He explained, laying out his entire plan for Annie. "This is real. If you want it to be."

"It won't _work_." Annie insisted, though, she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince more. Simon or herself.

"I'll leave nothing to chance." Simon insisted. "Everything's already in place. No more dancing around who we are. No more lies. We can be _together_."

For once in her life, Anne Catherine Gibbs was considering doing something completely impulsive and utterly _insane_. All her life, she'd always listened to her gut – just like her older brother. And, now, she wasn't sure _what_ she was listening to as she spoke again. "How would we live?"

"Better than now." Simon insisted, eagerly. "Living for other people … We can live for _each other_." Stroking her cheek, tenderly, he added "I want to live for you." as he pulled her hand to his lips, kissing the backs of her fingers. "Will you come with me?"

After a moment of internal debate, Annie found that the voice in the back of her head that sounded so much like her brother had been silenced as she looked up into Simon's eyes with her response which was nothing more than a breathless "Yes."

* * *

Stepping through the threshold of her bedroom, Annie began packing the few essentials she would need for her new life. During her packing, she came across a photo that had been take of her and her brother and Tony taken at the party they'd thrown to celebrate learning the sex of Leroy's baby. Smiling softly, her fingers traced the edges of the ultrasound printout tucked into the corner of the frame. As she did so, she realized that her brother had found his voice again within her head. She knew she could never leave Leroy – not after all that he'd been through with Jai's death and then the fight with Tony. She couldn't leave him alone – pregnant – to deal with all of his troubles.

She'd made it as far as packing the photo into her suitcase before the guilt ate away her resolve to go with Simon. Returning to her senses, she pulled her phone out of her pocket as she redialed the last number to call her. Once the line clicked to life, she was the first to speak. "Auggie." She greeted. "I'm comin' in."

Hanging up the phone, she returned to the kitchen to confront Simon. She had to be honest with him and stay true to herself. She knew she would never be able to run away with him – to leave her life and her family behind her. "What's wrong?" Simon questioned, sensing that something had changed while Annie was packing.

* * *

"We need to talk." Annie replied, quietly, still searching for the words to say what she needed to say.

The conspicuous absence of any bags told Simon all he needed to know. "You certainly travel light." He replied.

However, before either of them could say another word, Simon's attention was soon drawn to the door way where he heard the sound of high-heeled boots approaching the entryway. Looking up he saw a woman dressed in black from head-to-toe walk through the door way with a pistol – equipped with a silencer. Knowing that Annie had her back to the door way, Simon reacted on pure instinct when he saw the woman raise her pistol to aim directly at them as he whirled Annie around to stand behind him.

Being spun around so suddenly threw Annie for a loop until she was staring down the barrel of a pistol held by her own former boss, Lena Smith. Before she could process what was happening, Lena had fired two shots – hitting Simon square in the chest as the man fell to the floor – pushing Annie aside with the last of his strength. Turning back to look at Lena, Annie had no time to react as Lena turned the gun on her – placing two more bullets in her chest as Annie fell to the floor, unconscious.

Watching Annie's body fall to the ground, Lena crossed the room to Simon's body. Pressing two fingers to his neck, she satisfied herself with the confirmation that he was dead when she felt no pulse beating against her fingertips. Leaning over the body, she carefully placed the pistol in Simon's lifeless hand.

* * *

Walking through the doors to Abby's lab, Gibbs knew they didn't have any pressing cases for her to be summoning him down for any case-breaking revelations. Though, he definitely had his suspicions that the young forensic analyst knew about his incident with his SFA the night before. As much as he loved Abby Sciuto as the daughter he'd never gotten to raise, he had to admit, that sometimes … She could be one hell of a busybody when you didn't want her to be. Stepping through the door way, Gibbs absently cradled his developing bump as he braced himself for Abby's unique brand of interrogation.

"Gibbs!" Abby greeted, brightly, wrapping him in a brief hug – mindful of his unborn baby. "I'm _so_ sorry!" She added, sympathetically. "I … heard about … well, about what happened between you and Tony." She added, hanging her head, shamefully.

"Abs." Gibbs replied, moving his hands away from his stomach to cradle her face and hold her gaze. "'Sokay. You don't have to feel guilty about anything."

"It's just that … Well, I didn't get the whole story." Abby confessed. "All I know is that Tony told me that you two had a falling out of some sort and that he didn't really want to talk about it and when I told him to talk to you-"

"Abs." Gibbs interjected, softly. "You're rambling." He added, gently.

Sighing, Abby collected her thoughts before speaking again. "It's just … You know how much I hate it when daddy and papa fight." She admitted, the innocence in her face making her look years younger.

Drawing and releasing a deep breath, Gibbs decided to answer her questions. "We're not fighting." He assured his young forensic analyst.

"Really?" Abby challenged, her eyes looking like a five-year-old that had just seen her mommy and daddy fighting. "'Cause I've been watching you two all day. You've hardly said two words to each other – you've barely spent five minutes in the same _room_ together." She argued. "And, whenever Tony _does_ try to reach out to you, you just … shut down … and walk away."

During the course of Abby's reasoning, Gibbs' eyes had landed on a spot on the floor that had suddenly become the most fascinating thing in the room. Once she'd finished speaking, he finally mustered up the courage to look Abby in the eye once again before responding. "That's because … what happened, last night …" Sighing heavily, he completed his thoughts. "What happened, last night, was entirely my own fault." He spoke, guiltily. "I made a complete and utter fool of myself, Abs."

"Awww, Gibbs." Abby cooed, filled with sympathy for the man she'd grown to love as a father, as she offered him another hug. "Talk to me." She prodded, gently.

Looking into Abby's eyes, Gibbs thought to himself _What the hell? I've already humiliated myself in front of Tony … How much worse could this possibly be?_ as he spoke, again. "After everyone left after the party … I was sitting on the bed thinking about … About the baby …" His voice drifted off as he cradled his developing baby bump before he continued. " … and about Kelly … I wasn't in a good head space." He confessed. "I was just feeling … emotionally spent and I just … I wanted to feel _something_ … Something _real_ …" He confessed. Abby's eyes widened in realization as he finished the story. "When Tony walked in, I … God, Abs, I threw myself at him!"

Abby Sciuto knew Leroy Jethro Gibbs better than most people. She knew him well enough to know when his anger was directed inward, on himself, and her heart went out to him. "Oh, Gibbs."

"I completely humiliated myself!" Gibbs declared, frustratedly. "I just … I just can't face him … Not yet, anyway."

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs." Abby began, chastising her pseudo-father for his self-loathing. "You could never humiliate yourself in front of Tony. Tony _adores_ you!"

"He pushed me away." Gibbs argued, feeling the burning sting of tears behind his eyes.

"He wasn't 'pushing you away'." Abby reasoned, gently. "He was just doing the right thing … He was just trying not to take advantage of you."

"I know, Abs." Gibbs sighed, dejectedly. "I know."

* * *

Abby Sciuto was not accustomed to failure. So, when she had tried and failed to reach the younger Gibbs sibling all day, she finally decided to just go straight to the source. After hearing what had gone down between Gibbs and Tony the night before, she had gone back to Tony to try to talk to Gibbs – convince him that he hadn't made a complete fool of himself. When that failed, she'd started calling the only other person she knew who could talk some sense into Gibbs. His baby sister. Unfortunately, Annie wasn't answering her phone. So, Abby being Abby had to go straight to the source. However, little did she know … All of her years with Gibbs and NCIS could never have prepared her for the scene that awaited her at Annie's house.

Hearing the knock on the door, Lena quickly ducked down behind the island counter as she held a small red booklet in her hands. Taking cover, she'd hoped that – if the door went unanswered, whoever was knocking would simply go away – thus allowing her to complete her mission. "Annie!" She heard the young woman's voice call out as her knocking continued. "Annie!" She called out again. Realizing that the young woman at the door would not be going anywhere anytime soon, Lena stayed tucked away behind the counter as she tucked the book into Annie's jacket pocket before crawling out of the kitchen and rounding the corner – out of sight – as she heard the blood-curdling scream.

* * *

Later, at the hospital Abby paced, anxiously, in the waiting room until the nurse from behind the desk approached her. "Excuse me." The nurse greeted, gently, effectively halting the nervous girl's movements. "Are you with Ms. Gibbs?"

"Yes. Yes!" Abby shrieked, eagerly. "Have you seen her? How is she doing? Is she okay?" Abby began rambling, bombarding the poor nurse with a seemingly endless round of rapid-fire questions. "Well, of course she's not okay! I just saw her laying on her kitchen floor in a puddle of blood! Obviously, she was shot so how _could_ she be okay?! Oh! I should explain! I'm a forensic scientist so I could tell right away that she'd been shot! But, I'm digressing! Gibbs hates it when I digress! Not Annie! Annie's always super patient with me! No! I meant her older brother – Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He works for NCIS and so do I! He's kind of my boss. Oh! Someone should call him-"

"Miss, miss …" The nurse finally interjected, lightly gripping the young girl's shoulders. "Calm down …" She added, watching Abby drawing a deep breath and collecting her thoughts. "Now, I don't know anything about Ms. Gibbs' condition. Even if I did, I couldn't divulge anything to you – that would be the doctor's job." She elaborated, patiently. "I was just coming over to ask you if you knew who Ms. Gibbs' ICE contact would be."

"Oh!" Abby replied, in realization. "Oh! Yes, of course! Um, her ICE contact is her brother, Agent Gibbs." She added, fumbling through her bag for her phone. Searching through the contacts, she finally pulled up the elder Gibbs' phone number. "There you go." She declared, passing the phone over to the nurse. "Oh! But, um … I know you do this sort of thing all the time and I don't want to tell you how to do your job – God knows I hate it when people tell _me_ how to do _my_ job – but, um … Annie's brother is pregnant and kind of in a bad place, emotionally. So … could you please break this news to him as _gently_ as possible?!" She asked, hopefully. "It's just that … his baby's father was killed the very same day that he found out he was pregnant. And, just last night, he had a misunderstanding with the guy he's in love with, now and well-"

"Don't worry, miss." The nurse smiled understandingly. She could tell this young lady was very caring and just wanted what was best for her friends. "I've done this far more times than I would like …" She added, gently. "I promise … I'll be gentle."

Abby's face softened, as she realized that the nurse understood her situation. "Thanks." She replied, appreciatively.

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was lying in bed with a book balanced atop his rounding stomach when he heard his phone ring. Checking the caller ID, Jethro was curious when he failed to recognize the number on the screen. On some level, he couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed – having hoped that it might be Tony calling. Deciding to satisfy his curiosity, Jethro flipped the phone open after the second ring. "Gibbs." He greeted, briefly.

 _"Mr. Gibbs."_ The voice on the other end of the line was feminine and unfamiliar. That was all Jethro knew about it as it continued to speak. _"My name is Aubrie Allen. I'm a nurse at East Pavilion Hospital."_ Those seven words immediately had Gibbs on red alert. His mind raced with possibilities. Someone he knew had been hurt. Was it Abby? Ziva? McGee? Just then a final thought paralyzed him with fear. _What if it's Tony?_ He wondered as the nurse continued to speak. _"I'm calling on behalf of one Annie Gibbs. I was told you were her ICE contact."_

 _Dear God …_ Jethro thought to himself. _Annie …_ He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of his sister as he'd run down the list of potential victims. "What happened?" He questioned, though, his voice sounded far off and distant even to his own ears.

 _"Unfortunately, I don't have any information for you, right now."_ The young nurse – Aubrie, was it? - confessed, regretfully. _"All I can tell you is that she was brought in with two GSWs to the chest – possibly point-blank range – and she was rushed into emergency surgery."_

 _Oh, God … Not Annie … No …_ No, he couldn't lose Annie, too. He'd already lost far too much. He couldn't lose his baby sister, too. "I'm on my way." Jethro replied, clicking the phone shut without waiting for a response, before practically leaping out of the bed and racing down the stairs and out the door.

* * *

When he'd arrived in the hospital waiting room, he was greeted with the sight of an hysterical Abby. "GibbsGibbsGibbs!" Abby cried, hysterically, greeting the older Gibbs sibling in a sympathetic hug. "I'm so sorry, Gibbs!"

"What happened, Abs?" Jethro questioned, the pleading look in his eyes echoed in his voice.

"I-I don't-I don't know." Abby stammered, anxiously. "All I know is that … after you and I talked in the lab, today, I went to Tony – ya know, to get him to talk to you to kinda smooth things over from last night …" Sensing the tension in Jethro's body language, Abby sensed she was digressing, again. "Sorry! Back to the topic! When Tony refused to talk to you, I tried calling Annie to see if she could help. When she didn't answer her phone all day, I went over to her house, after work, to talk to her in person … All, I know is what I saw." Abby continued, onward. "I knocked several times and – when she didn't answer – I peered in through the door and I … I saw a man laying on the kitchen floor. He was dead. And, I … I saw Annie lying on the other side of the kitchen floor … Oh, Gibbs." Abby continued, tears stealing from her eyes as her voice faltered and quivered. "Gibbs, she was unconscious and … and laying in a pool of her own blood."

Sighing, Gibbs ran a hand over his face and through his hair as the other caressed the bulge in his stomach, absently. "Jesus …" He breathed, turning his head upward toward the ceiling "You just can't cut me a break, can ya?" He sighed, speaking to some unseen deity. Turning back to face Abby, he added "Has anyone called Auggie, yet?" He questioned, tiredly.

"N-No." Abby stammered, anxiously. "No, I … I don't have his number. I don't know how to reach him."

"'Sokay, Abs." Jethro replied, gently, pressing a light kiss to her cheek. "I'll call him." He assured her, sighing. He hated having to make this call.

* * *

"Jethro?" Auggie greeted, curiously, after his caller ID audibly announced the contact name of the caller.

"Hey, Auggie." Jethro sighed, still searching for the right words. _How the hell am I supposed to tell my baby sister's best friend that she's been shot?_ He wondered, silently.

"Jethro? What's goin' on? What's wrong?" Auggie asked. Something didn't sound right in the elder Gibbs' voice and he could tell that something bad had happened.

Releasing a deep sigh, Gibbs decided to go for the tried and true method of just getting right down to brass tacks. That was, after all, his style. "It's Annie … She's been shot."

 _Shit._ Auggie thought to himself. "Is she okay?!" He asked, anxiously, already slipping into a pair of jeans and sliding into his boots.

"I don't know." Jethro conceded, regretfully. "I just got to the hospital. She's still in surgery." He added.

"Is Tony with you?" Auggie asked, knowing that Jethro could use all the support he could get.

Sighing, Gibbs knew he _really_ didn't want to get into what had happened with Tony, last night. "Uh … No … No, I haven't called him, yet." He offered, cryptically.

Auggie could tell there was something amiss in Jethro's voice and made a mental note to call Tony on the way to the hospital. "I'm on my way." He offered, hanging up without waiting for a response.

* * *

Once in the cab, Auggie voice-dialed Tony's number. _"DiNozzo."_ Was the only greeting he got when the line clicked to life.

"Tony, it's me, Auggie." Auggie replied.

 _"Auggie!"_ Tony greeted, brightly. _"How is my favorite Ray Charles impersonator?"_

"I just got off the phone with Jethro!" Auggie replied, urgently. "He's at the hospital-"

 _"Oh God!"_ Tony replied, suddenly sobering up, his voice trembling audibly. _"Jethro?! Is he okay?! What happened?! Is the baby okay?!"_ He demanded, throwing on a pair of jeans, shoes, and shifting the phone around to pull a shirt on over the wife-beater he'd previously been sporting.

"Jethro and the baby are fine." Auggie replied, willing his voice to be gentle and reassuring. " _Annie's_ the patient. … Tony, she's been shot."

 _"Dear God …"_ Tony muttered, racing down to his car and hurriedly climbing in. _"Is she okay?! What happened?"_

"Jethro just said that she's still in surgery." Auggie added, as the cab came to a halt as the driver announced that they'd arrived at the hospital. "I just got here." He added, pulling his wallet out and handing the cash over to the driver, not even caring if he was grossly overpaying as he pulled his cane out and climbed out of the cab, making his way toward the door.

 _"I'm on my way."_ Tony replied, hanging up the phone as he fired up the engine, racing off in the direction of the hospital.

* * *

"Sir, I'm sorry, but, I can't let you go in there!" Tony was furious as two men in black suits denied him entry into the hallway leading down to the waiting room.

"Sir, it's protocol!" The other suit piled on.

"The hell with protocol!" Tony barked, attempting to shove his way through the guards, to no avail. "All right, fine!" Tony snapped. "Have it your way!" He hissed, pulling out his badge. "I'm a federal agent! NCIS!"

"Sorry, sir." The first guard replied. "Only CIA officers are allowed in to see Ms. Gibbs."

It was then that an idea occurred to Tony. "I'm her goddamn brother-in-law!" He shouted, knowing that they would have to let her family in to see her.

Having overheard the commotion at the end of the hall, Auggie unfolded his cane as he approached the source of the noise. "Guys … Guys …" Auggie spoke, lightly.

"Auggie!" Tony interjected. "Auggie, help me out, here, please!"

Pulling out his own identification, Auggie waved it for the guards to see. "Relax, boys. He's with me."

"I'm sorry, Auggie. He's not a CIA officer-" The second guard began.

"But, I am." Auggie argued, sharply. "And, a damn good spy. So, unless you'd like the misses to find out about your little special 'op' in Aruba with Jack from accounting, you'll shut up and let him through."

Tony couldn't deny the ever-so-slight amusement he felt watching the six-foot-four two-hundred-forty-pound agent in the suit visibly paled as he turned to allow him entry. "Thank you." He replied, smugly, as he accompanied Auggie down the hallway to the waiting room.

* * *

Jethro felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw Tony walk into the hospital waiting room. "Jethro." Tony breathed, racing across the waiting room and into the elder Gibbs' waiting arms. "Is she okay?!"

Leroy Jethro Gibbs sighed as the relief washed over him when Tony wrapped his strong arms around him. Finally, he could breathe again. "Still in surgery." He replied, reluctantly pulling away from Tony.

"Mr. Gibbs!" The surgeon called out, entering the waiting room.

Turning at the sound of his name, Jethro found himself surrounded by Tony, Abby, and Auggie. "I'm Jethro Gibbs. Annie's brother."

"My name is Dr. Staci Schulz." The short, young surgeon stood before them, her fiery auburn locks falling down, past her shoulder as she spoke. "I'm Annie's surgeon." She added, before getting to the matter at hand. "Annie sustained two gunshot wounds to the chest. The second bullet pierced her left ventricle. We opened her chest in the ER and revived her heart."

"Oh God …" Jethro choked, leaning into Tony's strong embrace as he felt the younger man's arm wrapping around him – sustaining him.

"We're bringing her into the OR, right now, to try to repair the wound, but, it's a delicate operation." Dr. Schulz warned them.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Jethro questioned, hating the vulnerable tremor in his voice as he spoke.

"We'll know more in a few hours." Dr. Schulz replied, regretfully.

Jethro choked back a sob, turning to bury his face in Tony's shoulder as the other man wrapped his arms around him – holding him supportively – caressing his back, gently, as Auggie spoke up, quietly. "Thank you, doctor."

With an apologetic look, Dr. Schulz just nodded before returning to the OR. "Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my Goooood!" Abby cooed, unable to contain her fears and worries for the younger Gibbs."

"It's gonna be all right, Abs." Tony replied, still soothing the elder Gibbs sibling.

"I hope you're right, DiNozzo." Jethro sighed, letting the younger man lead him off to a quiet corner of the waiting room.

* * *

Sitting Jethro down, Tony took the vacant seat next to him as he continued holding the older man's hands in his own before speaking. "Listen, Jethro … I know this is hardly the place to have this conversation." He conceded, carefully. "But, this whole thing's got me thinking …"

"I been thinking all day." Jethro interjected, quietly. "I just … I wanted you to know that … That I'm sorry for how I reacted, last night." He sighed, squeezing Tony's hands, gently. "You were right. I was just grasping at straws and – as much as I genuinely want you … I was wrong to throw myself at you in a fit of emotional despair."

"Maybe so." Tony agreed, gently. "But, I understand. And, whenever you're ready, I'll be there." In that moment, Tony would have sworn he saw a glimmer of hope shining in the father-to-be's eyes.

"That's just it." Jethro replied, his quiet voice shaking with the force the emotions he was fighting to suppress. "I don't want to wait any more." Sensing the impending rebuttal, Jethro freed one of his hands to halt Tony's argument. "I know what you're thinking. But, the truth is … Tony … I've had feelings for you since the day I met you. Tony, I want to per sue this – pursue _us_." He added. "I want to give us a chance."

Despite the circumstances, Tony couldn't help smiling at Jethro's confession. "I'd like that, too." He barely managed to choke out, around the lump in his throat, drawing Jethro into his arms, carefully, around arm of the chair that separated them. "Jethro, I … I've loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you." He breathed, quietly, sliding a hand over-top Jethro's rounding stomach. "And, I know … I know this … beautiful little baby girl in there isn't mine – not biologically …" He added, warmly. "But, I also love her as if she were my own."

Catching the hand on the bulge in his stomach, Jethro couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face as he took in Tony's words. _Jai was right …_ Jethro thought to himself, recalling Jai's words to him in his dream, that morning. _Tony really does love me_ and _my daughter …_ "I love you, too, Tony." He breathed, resting his head on the broad shoulder of the younger man.

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
** Holy _shitballs_ , that was a long one! 20 pages! That's the longest chapter I've ever written! I don't think I've ever even written an entire _story_ that was this long! Thanks for hanging in there, with me. As always, reviews are love! And, again … The first five (5) **_SIGNED_ ** reviews will get a preview of chapter 6!

~Skye Coulson


	6. What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

**Going the Distance**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:  
** As always, I own nothing.

 **Rating:  
** M

 **Genre:  
** Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family

 **Pairing:  
** Tibbs

 **Lyrics Used:  
** Kelly Clarkson "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)"

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

* * *

 _You think you got the best of me | Think you've had the last laugh | Bet you think that everything good is gone | Think you left me broken down | Think that I'll come running back | Baby, you don't know me 'cause you're dead wrong_

 _What doesn't kill you makes you stronger | Stand a little taller | Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone | What doesn't kill you makes a fighter | Footsteps even lighter | Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone_

* * *

"Hey." Tony spoke, softly, gently nudging the sleeping man on his shoulder awake. "Hey, sleepin' beauty. It's time to wake up." He added, smiling softly at the adorable look on Jethro's sleep-ridden face. He knew the man had been through a lot in the last two days – particularly with the shooting of his baby sister. He just hoped everything would work out in their favor.

"Agent Gibbs?" Jethro finally came around, fully, when he heard an unfamiliar female voice calling his name.

"Who wants to know?" The elder Gibbs questioned, his voice still husky from the nap he'd just awoken from.

"My name is Lena Smith." The new woman introduced herself, sliding into the vacant seat on Jethro's other side. "Annie worked for me for a short time." She added, extending her hand to the older man.

Accepting the proffered hand, Jethro just nodded, tiredly. "Yeah. Yeah, Annie mentioned that they transferred her to your department after …" He added, swallowing the growing lump in his throat. " … after Jai's death." He finished, grateful for Tony's reassuring squeeze of his shoulders.

"Annie's an exceptional operative." Lena praised, smiling softly. "She spoke very highly of you." She added, fondly. "I think she aspires to be like you."

"That's where you're wrong." Jethro countered, gruffly. "Annie's always marched to the beat of her own drum – for better or worse. That's what makes her so damn good at her job."

"Jethro." The elder Gibbs' attention was soon drawn away from the woman he'd been talking to as Auggie called out to him. Jethro could tell that there was something very wrong in the blind man's tone as he spoke. "Can I talk to you? Privately?" He asked, carefully.

Turning to Tony, Jethro just received an encouraging nod. "Okay." He replied, carefully rising to his feet. _One thing's for sure. …_ He thought to himself, fondly caressing the bulge in his stomach. _You sure don't let daddy move like he used to …_ He thought to himself with a small smile as he followed Auggie to a deserted section of hallway. Halting their movements, he lightly gripped Auggie's elbow – signaling that they were alone. "All right." He began, curiously. "You have my attention, Auggie."

Releasing a deep sigh, Auggie hated having to break this news to Auggie. "Look, Jethro … I hate being the bearer of bad news … But, there are some things you need to know."

Sighing, reluctantly, Jethro just replied "Lay it on me." as he waited for Auggie to dump whatever news he likely _really_ didn't wanna hear on him.

"Look, there's no easy way to say this …" Auggie sighed. There was never an easy way to tell your best friend's older brother that his baby sister was being investigated for treason. " … There's some scuttlebutt goin' around the office."

"What _kind_ of scuttlebutt?" Jethro questioned, curtly, not liking the sound of what he was hearing.

"The kind that …" _God, I can't believe I'm actually saying this …_ Auggie thought to himself as he decided to just rip the proverbial band-aid off. "The kind that accuses Annie of treason."

Jethro just remained deadly silent for a moment, though, Auggie could hear him begin to pace. He knew all too well that silence could very well be deadly when coming from Leroy Jethro Gibbs. "This is bullshit!" Jethro finally hissed. "You know damn well that Annie would never betray her country!"

"Yeah!" Auggie replied, sharply. " _You_ know that and _I_ know that!" He barked, just as infuriated with Langley as Jethro clearly was. "But, right now, Langley doesn't give a damn what you or I know! I'm not even being allowed anywhere near the official investigation!"

"Well, then who the hell is?!" Jethro barked, struggling to keep a lid on his temper, as he absently cradled the developing bulge that housed his unborn daughter in his hands.

"That's why I pulled you away." Auggie began cryptically. "They put Lena Smith in charge of the investigation."

"That bitch!"Jethro hissed, realizing how fake that conversation he'd just had with that woman had been.

"I talked to Joan and Arthur." Auggie continued onward. "Joan says that Lena's evidence is …" Sighing heavily, he finished his thought. " … it's compelling."

"What evidence?!" Jethro demanded, angrily.

"I don't know." Auggie insisted, helplessly. "They won't let me anywhere near it."

"Why the hell not?!" Jethro demanded, scarcely able to contain his anger.

"Because I have an emotional stake in Annie." Auggie conceded. "The same reason they won't let Joan anywhere near it."

"This is bullshit!" Jethro hissed. "My baby sister is lying on an operating table _fighting for her_ ** _life_** and her own agency is trying to fucking _crucify_ her!" He growled out.

"Trust me, Jethro." Auggie assured the older man. "I am going out and I am going to find my own evidence." The blind operative asserted, firmly. "I am going to do whatever it _takes_ to clear Annie's name."

Sighing heavily, Jethro couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. "I know you will, Auggie." He replied, reluctantly. "Let me know if there's anything my team or I can do." He added, hating the helpless feeling that was threatening to consume him.

* * *

"What was that all about?" Tony questioned, concerned, when he saw the fury written in his lover's piercing blue orbs. "Jethro?" He prodded, when the older man started pacing in a daze. Stepping in front of his lover, Tony halted the older man's movements with a gentle grip on his shoulders, staring straight into his eyes. "Jethro, talk to me. What happened?"

Tony's heart ached for the helplessness in the older man's steely blue eyes. "They're gonna crucify her, Tony." Jethro replied, not even recognizing his own voice.

"What?!" Tony questioned, dumbfounded. "Jethro, what the hell are you talking about?" He asked, struggling to make sense of it all. "Who's gonna crucify who?!"

"Langley." Jethro replied, desperate. "They're investigating Annie for _treason_!"

Tony's mind was blown. He couldn't believe what Jethro was telling him. "That's insane!" The younger man countered. "They know Annie would never do _anything_ to betray her country!"

"Auggie says that … _woman_ …" Tony didn't miss the venom that dripped from the word 'woman' as it left Jethro's lips when the older man gestured toward the woman that he'd previously been speaking to. " … Lena Smith … Is heading the investigation." Jethro's voice was so lost and helpless Tony would give anything to make everything right again. "Auggie was tellin' me … her evidence … it's compelling."

"Well, then, I'll rally the team together." Tony offered. "Me, Ziva, McGee, Abby … We'll go out and we'll find our own evidence." He added, hoping to provide whatever comfort he could to his hurting lover. "Because whatever 'evidence' that bitch has that says Annie Gibbs is a traitor-"

Just then, Auggie joined the two lovers as he completed Tony's sentence. "-isn't worth the paper it's printed on." He finished, adamantly.

Nodding his agreement, Tony added "Yeah. You got that right." He offered.

"I'm planning on conducting my own investigation." Auggie informed Tony.

"Good." Tony concurred. "I was just telling Jethro, here, that I'm gonna rally the team together. "Myself, Ziva, McGee, Abby … We'll work with you – we'll pool our resources. Surely, together, we can come sink that bitch's case like the _Titanic_."

"I like the sound of that." Auggie confirmed. "Ya know … Just because I was _prepared_ to do this on my own, if I had to, doesn't mean I _wanted_ to."

"Aw, Auggie …" Tony joked. "You know you're never alone as long as ya got Team Gibbs on your six."

"Mr. Gibbs?" Dr. Schulz replied, returning to the waiting room.

"Yes!" Jethro responded, desperate for some good news. "How is she? Is she gonna be okay?"

"Annie is out of surgery." Dr. Schulz replied. "She's stable, for now-"

"'For now'?!" Jethro demanded.

"Annie lost a lot of blood – we lost her a couple of times on the table." Dr. Schulz replied, calmly. Feeling Jethro starting to shake, next to him, Tony gently took his lover into his arms, holding him close for whatever moral support he could offer. "But, we were able to revive her." The surgeon added, warmly, hoping to comfort the distraught brother. "However, she has slipped into a coma."

"Can you snap her out of it?" Tony questioned, hopefully.

"Perhaps in a couple of days, we can try." The surgeon suggested. "But, right now, I think it would be best if we just let Annie rest. Her body needs the rest to jump start the recovery process." She elaborated, gently. "We'll evaluate her at the end of the week. If her vitals have improved and her condition's holding, we'll try to pull her out of it – assuming she hasn't woken up on her own, by then." She offered, hoping that brought a ray of hope to her patient's friends and family. "Right now, we've got her on a ventilator-"

"She's on life support and you call that stable?!" Jethro demanded. He was tired. Tired of people attacking the people he loved. Tired of bureaucratic bullshit. He just wanted one thing to go right for him and his extended family.

"Well, considering that we had to bring her out of V-fib, yes, I would call her condition stable." Dr. Schulz replied, confidently. "I never said she was out of the woods." Sensing a rebuttal, the surgeon held a hand up to silence the argument. "But, I am remaining cautiously optimistic." She finished.

"When can I see her?" Jethro asked, with a pleading look in his eyes.

Dr. Schulz was torn. She wanted to restrict visitors to one at a time. But, she could also clearly see that the elder Gibbs' lover didn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. "Yes, but, I'm afraid I'm gonna need you to limit the visits to only one at a time and no more than fifteen minutes at a time and no more than once per hour. With the obvious exception of you, Mr. Gibbs. You'll be allowed to sit with her whenever you like for as long as you like, given that you're a direct, blood, relative and her next of kin and ICE contact." She explained, standing by what she knew was right for her patient. "We're getting ready to transfer her to ICU." She added, letting her previous instructions sink in. "I'll come and let you know when we've got her settled and we'll take you to go see her." The surgeon added, before turning and exiting the room.

"You want me to go with you?" Tony offered, gently, rubbing his lover's back in a soothing manner.

"No." Jethro replied, hating the way his voice trembled as he spoke. "No. You go back to the office and start going through everything – look for any trace evidence you can find to help exonerate my sister." He ordered. "I want bank statements, passports, aliases, credit cards, phone records – everything – no stone unturned." He added. "And not just for 'Annie Gibbs'. All right? Work with Auggie – run down _everything_ on _every single one_ of identities!"

"'Identities'?!" Tony repeated, unsure of why he was so shocked. "As in … plural?"

"Yeah! DiNozzo!" Jethro barked, frustrated. "She _is_ a CIA agent! They tend to have more than a few aliases – along with documentation to back them up!" He hissed, instantly regretting the way he'd spoken once he saw the stricken look on his young lover's face before he turned to leave. Reaching out, he lightly wrapped his hand around Tony's wrist – effectively halting the younger man's movements. "Hey." He called out, softly. "I'm sorry, Tony, I just-"

With a soft, sad, knowing smile, Tony stepped back up to Jethro – cradling his face in his hands – before placing a gentle, tender kiss on the older man's lips. "I know, Boss." Tony replied, his voice gentle and full of love. "We'll fix this, Jethro." Tony added, tenderly stroking his lover's cheek. "We'll figure out who shot Annie and figure out who's trying to frame her – which is probably the same person …" He added, softly. "And, we **will** bring them down …" He finished, sealing his vow with another tender kiss.

"I know you will, Tony." Jethro replied, comforted by his lover's words. "I trust you … And, I love you."

"I love you, too, Jethro." Tony replied, kissing Jethro one final time before resting his hands on either side of Jethro's 'bump'. "I'll be back, later, sweetheart …" He added, softening his voice as he spoke to the developing child within.

Jethro couldn't stop the tears stealing from his eyes as his young lover said goodbye to his unborn child before turning to leave. "Come on, Ray Charles!" Tony called, in his typical DiNozzo fashion, escorting Auggie down to his car.

Just then, the same nurse clad in navy blue scrubs that had previously approached Abby after Annie had first been brought into the ER entered the waiting room. "Mr. Gibbs?" She called out, searching for the elder Gibbs sibling.

"Yeah." Jethro replied, turning around to face the young nurse as he struggled to get his emotions and hormones in check. "Yeah, 'at's me." He confirmed.

"My name is Aubrie." The nurse introduced herself, offering her hand to the older man. "We spoke on the phone."

Accepting the proffered hand, Jethro replied "Yeah. I remember."

Releasing Jethro's hand, Aubrie spoke again. "I'll be the nurse overseeing Annie's care." She offered, gently. "I came out here to let you know that she's been transferred to ICU and I can take you back there to see her … If you like."

Turning back to the CIA agents in the room, Jethro dared any of them to try to stop him. When no one did, he turned back to follow Aubrie back to his sister's ICU room. "I'll give you some time alone before I let the others start visiting." Watching the expectant father-to-be take a seat by his sister's bedside, she smiled sadly as she watched him fumble for what to do or say. "You should talk to her." The young nurse spoke, softly.

"Think she can hear me?" Jethro questioned, completely and utterly lost.

"Truth is, nobody knows for sure." The young nurse conceded, gently, moving to stand behind the older man and rubbing his shoulders soothingly. "But, I like to think she can." She offered, hoping to bring some small shred of hope to the desperate man before she took her leave.

Once the nurse had left, Jethro took his sister's lifeless hand in his own as he searched for the words to convey what he wanted to say. "You really got yourself in deep, this time, didn't y'Annie?" He asked, his voice quivering and shaking and cracking as he spoke. "Don't worry, though … I may not have been able to be there for you as much as I wanted to when you were growing up … But, I'm here, now … And, so's Auggie and even the rest of _my_ team … We're gonna figure this out, Annie … We always do." He assured his baby sister. After having said what he needed to say, he progressed on to more pleasant topics of discussion as he regaled his sister with tales of his unborn daughter's activity inside of him – all of the punches and the kicks. "I think this little one's gonna grow up to be a Marine just like her daddy." He quipped, chuckling lightly. "She also seems to think that my bladder makes a great trampoline." He added, smiling softly, as he continued talking to his sister about the new life developing inside of him and the joys of pregnancy. All the while trying to forget that his baby sister was being investigated for treason. He had to trust in his team's ability to get the job done. Which, he knew they were more than capable of doing. He knew they always had his six. And Annie's as well. He just hoped they could prove her innocence before too much damage was done.

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
** As always, enjoy! Reviews are love! :D

~Skye Coulson


	7. Hurry Up and Save Me

**Going the Distance**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:  
** As always, I own nothing.

 **Rating:  
** M

 **Genre:  
** Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family

 **Pairing:  
** Tibbs

 **Lyrics Used:  
** Tiffany Giardina "Hurry Up and Save Me"  
Taylor Swift "Safe and Sound"

* * *

Hurry Up and Save Me

* * *

 _Hurry up and save me | Hurry up and save | Hurry up and save | Hurry up and save me | I just wanna feel alive | And, I do when I'm with you_

 _Hurry up and save me | Hurry up and save me | Hurry up and save me | Hurry up and save | I just wanna feel alive | And, I do when I'm with you_

* * *

"Tony!" Agent Ziva David proclaimed, surprised to see the senior field agent returning to the office at such an odd hour. "What are you doing here, so late?" She asked, finishing up the overdue paperwork she'd stayed late to catch up on. Her curiosity soon turned to concern. "Tony, what is going on?" She demanded, turning to see Auggie following him into the bullpen. "Auggie?" She asked, completely at a loss as to what business the CIA operative would have at the NCIS headquarters. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Ziva David …" Auggie greeted, trying to keep up his normal care-free humor, though, he suspected that the skilled agents around him saw right through the facade.

"Auggie and I are here because …" Tony began, sighing heavily as McGee stepped off the elevator.

"Tony!" McGee greeted, jogging lightly to catch up to the senior field agent in the bullpen. "I got your '9-1-1' text! What's the emergency?"

"'9-1-1' text?" Ziva repeated, curious as to why Tony would resort to texting McGee their designated emergency code. "Tony, what is going on?!"

"I was just getting to that." Tony began, reluctantly. "Look, there's no easy way to say this, so, I'm just gonna come right out and say it … Annie Gibbs has been shot, in her home."

" _Annie_?!" Timothy McGee gasped in shock. "My _god_ … Well, i-i-is she okay?! What the hell happened?!"

"That's what Tony and I are here to figure out." Auggie interjected. "So far, all that we know – for sure – is that somebody gained entry to Annie's house and shot her and this man." He added, pulling a photo from the scene out of his jacket pocket.

"Who is that?" Ziva questioned, slipping into Agent David.

"His name is Simon Fischer." Auggie replied. "He was an FSB operative Annie was assigned to get close to."

"So, she was sleeping with him?" Ziva concluded.

"Ziva!" Tim chastised. "You can't just go around making assumptions like that about people! _Especially_ Gibbs' baby sister! … Rule number eight – never take anything for granted!"

"Actually, Agent McGee … in this instance, Agent David was correct." Auggie conceded, sighing lightly. "The op was assigned to Annie by this woman." Auggie continued as Tony uploaded a photo of Lena Smith onto the big screen. "Her name is Lena Smith."

"I remember that name." Tim interjected. "Wasn't she the one Annie worked for when she was reassigned to a new division after Jai's death?"

There was a brief moment of silence when the group of agents realized how casually McGee had referenced their fearless leader's lover's death. Finally, Tony broke the silence. "Yes, it was." He added, gruffly.

"Annie told me that Lena's exact words were 'get intimate enough with a man and he'll tell you everything'." Auggie confirmed.

"That is _very_ true." Ziva confirmed, mischievously. "What?!"

"Anyway … I called Annie to give her a heads up that OIG was going through her desk at the office and she called me back a little while later. Said that she was comin' in … But … she never made it in." Auggie replied, stepping over Ziva's interjection.

"Why would OIG be going through her desk?" McGee questioned.

"After Langley launched their investigation into Annie's shooting …" Auggie began, trailing off as he tried to wrap his mind around everything that had happened, today.

"Annie's being accused of treason." Tony finished, figuring that now was not the time to dance around the issue.

"That is the most absurd thing I have every heard!" Ziva interjected. "Annie's as patriotic as they come – her and Gibbs both – neither of them would ever even entertain the _thought_ of _considering_ ** _treason_**!"

"Yeah, well, apparently someone at Langley thinks they know better." Auggie spat the words out as if they tasted bitter.

"How's that?" Tim questioned, curiously.

"Scuttlebutt says that someone at Langley's built a rather compelling case against Annie." Tony replied, still dumbfounded that the implications were even being thrown.

"Who?" Ziva inquired, confused.

"That bitch." Auggie spat, pointing in the direction where he hoped the big screen was located. However, as he occasionally did, he missed his mark as Tony silently pulled his hand back to point behind him at the big screen.

"Our intel says that Lena Smith is heading up the investigation." Tony replied, struggling to maintain his composure.

"What can we do to help?" Tim asked, ready, willing, and able to do whatever it took to clear his friend's name.

"Our orders are – since we have no way of accessing Langley's evidence – to collect evidence of our own … Prove Annie's innocence." Tony began, before turning to McGee. "McGee! Start running down every single alias Annie has ever used – banks statements, credit cards, driver's licenses, passports … No stone unturned!" Tony ordered, stunning even himself with the air of authority he was putting out.

"What can I do?" Ziva asked, eager to help with the investigation.

"I've got a passport number I need your help to track down." Auggie interjected. "A buddy of mine at Langley – one of the few agents that has _not_ completely abandoned Annie – ran it down for me as best he could without arousing suspicion." The CIA operative added. "All I know, so far, is that it's a forgery and that Langley did _not_ issue it. Means that it was made by an off-book cobbler."

"And, that's good news?" Tim questioned, confused.

"Best news I've heard all day." Auggie replied. "I'm gonna need you to help track down all the best cobblers in the DC area." He instructed, turning in the direction of where he'd heard the female agent's voice come from.

* * *

"How is she?" Abby Sciuto asked, cautiously, standing across the hospital bed from her boss and father-figure. Looking around the hospital room, she saw all of the various machines carrying out life-sustaining functions for her.

"Doc says she's stable." Gibbs replied, clearly lost in thought. "Shit, Abs … When the _hell_ is anything gonna go _right_ for us?" He added, helplessly.

"You can't focus on the negatives, Gibbs." Abby reminded him, gently. "I know it seems like you're surrounded by … lots of … bad stuff, right now." She conceded, reluctantly. "But, you've got your little girl … And, Tony … And, all of us …" She added. After a moment of silence on her father-figure's part, the forensic scientist sighed lightly. She hated seeing her father-figure and mentor in such pain. "I'm gonna go back to the office … See what I can do to help clear Annie's name."

Gibbs was grateful for all of the friends he had in his life. At times like this, he honestly didn't know what he would do without any of them. Leroy Jethro Gibbs always prided himself on being able to come out on top in any situation no matter how high the odds were stacked against him. It reminded him of a song that Annie always used to call her theme song. _"When the cards are stacked against me I just play a different game"_ That was very true of the younger Gibbs. When she couldn't win the game she was faced with, she changed it. On some level, Jethro supposed he did the same thing. _Hell … Where ya think she learned it?_ He chided himself as he stared down at the lifeless form on the bed before him.

* * *

"Tony." McGee called, carefully.

"What is it, McGee?!" Tony replied, his voice tired and quiet. He felt like he'd been at this for days – buried up to their ears in paperwork.

"'s not lookin' good for Annie." McGee elaborated, reluctantly.

"Well, judging by the looks of things …" McGee replied, trailing off as he reviewed the data on his monitor. " … I'd say Annie and Simon were doing more than just sleeping together." He added, puzzling his colleagues.

"You **better** not be saying what I _think_ you're saying, Mc _Traitor_!" Tony hissed, in warning.

Despite the nickname, McGee still picked up on the smoldering anger burning in the background. "Well, I found a false identity that Fischer's been building for _years_ … Bank statements, credit cards, passports, driver's licenses, you name it … " He began, speaking carefully. "Looks like he built one for Annie, too." He added, sighing reluctantly. He didn't want to believe that Annie was a traitor any more than any of the others did. But, he couldn't deny the facts in front of him. "You don't think …" He began, his voice trailing off when he realized he couldn't even bring himself to complete the thought.

"She was going to run away with him." Ziva surmised, shock and disbelief evident in her voice as she spoke, trying to reconcile what she knew of her mentor and father-figure's baby sister with the evidence that she was being presented with.

"You shut your mouth!" Tony barked, his temper finally bending past the breaking point and snapping, as he violently slammed both of his fists down on her desk – his face lunging toward hers, menacingly, scaring the living hell out of the Israeli-American.

"Tony, none of us wants to believe that!" McGee argued, gently. "But, we can't ignore the facts that are right in front of our faces, either."

"No." Auggie interjected, his voice quiet and his face pensive. "No, Annie wouldn't just abandon Jethro and the baby like that." He added. The rest of the group of agents surrounding him all watched in fascination as they could almost literally _see_ the gears turning in his head. "Annie called me just before the shooting." He added, analyzing the facts as he knew them.

"What did she say?" Ziva asked, waiting for the CIA operative's response.

"Not much." Auggie conceded, running over the one-sided conversation in his head. "Just said that she was comin' in and hung up the phone."

"Does Langley know about that call?" Tony questioned, curiously.

"Yeah." Auggie affirmed. "Yeah, Barber – friend of mine in tech ops – said that they requisitioned the recording of the call."

"So, then, surely they must know that Annie cannot be guilty of any treasonous acts!" Ziva reasoned, frustrated.

"Not yet." Auggie sighed, dejectedly. "From what I hear, Lena's evidence is pretty damning. … All the higher ups have given up on Annie – _**abandoned**_ her – left her out to dry." Auggie seethed.

* * *

 _Just close your eyes | The sun is going down | You'll be all right | No one can hurt you now | Come morning light | You and I'll be safe and sound_

 _Don't you dare look out your window, darling | Everything's on fire | The war outside our door keeps raging on | Hold onto this lullaby | Even when the music's gone | Gone_

* * *

After much coercion on Joan's part, Jethro had finally torn himself away from Annie's bedside long enough to go home for a shower, a meal, and some sleep – though he wasn't holding out much hope for that one. He'd just finished redressing after a hot shower that had done nothing to soothe his frayed nerves and thrown together a quick sandwich when his phone rang, again. Seeing Joan Campbell's name on the caller ID, he flipped the phone open, pressing it to his ear. "Yeah." He greeted, his voice echoing the physical and mental exhaustion screaming from every nerve in his body.

"Jethro! It's Joan!" Joan Campbell greeted, urgently, forgoing all frivolous pleasantries that she simply had no time for. "You need to get back to the hospital – now!" She added.

All but leaping out of his chair, Jethro grabbed his coat and was out the door in record time. "Talk to me, Joan!" He barked, masking his fears to the best of his ability, as he climbed inside his truck and fired up the engine. "What's goin' on?" He asked, hating the tremor in his voice as he spoke.

"Someone snuck into Annie's ICU room and tried to kill her a second time." Joan replied, willing her voice to soften with the compassion she felt for the elder Gibbs. "They tried to smother her."

Jethro's heart froze in his chest as the ice-cold vice-grip around his heart clenched painfully at the words as he pulled into the parking garage at the hospital, jumping out of his truck and punching the button on the elevator. "Is she okay?" He just managed to choke out around the growing lump in his throat, as he arrived on Annie's floor and raced down the hall.

"Just get here." Joan choked out as she hung up the phone, turning to see the elder Gibbs sibling racing toward him.

Approaching Annie's ICU room, Jethro couldn't breathe as he heard all sorts of alarms going crazy as he watched the heart rate monitor flat-lined. _No … Oh, God, no …_ He thought to himself, desperately as he watched the team of doctors raced to save his sister. The God-awful sound of the paddles charging and shocking his sister's heart – her body convulsing with the electric shock … It was all too much. Annie had to be okay. Jethro _needed_ her to be okay. By the third shock, Jethro was just about to begin losing hope when Annie gasped for breath – her eyes snapping open. She was alive. His baby sister was alive. They may have won _this_ battle. But, the war was still raging on all around them.

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
** As always, I hope you've enjoyed this little snippet! Don't forget to drop me a review. The first seven (7) **_SIGNED_** reviews will get a Tony/Gibbs one-shot of their choosing.

~Skye Coulson


	8. That's How the Lost Get Found

**Going the Distance**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:  
** You know the drill.

 **Rating:  
** M

 **Genre:  
** Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family

 **Pairing:  
** Tibbs

 **Lyrics Used:  
** Britt Nicole "The Lost Get Found"

* * *

That's How the Lost Get Found

* * *

 _Don't let your lights go down | Don't let your fire burn out | 'Cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe | Why don't you rise up now | Don't be afraid to stand out | That's how the lost get found | The lost get found_

* * *

Tony and the group of agents working around him were all beginning to run into a series of dead-ends when the shrill ring of Tony's phone shocked them all back to a more coherent reality. "Jethro." Tony greeted, gently, upon reading the caller ID.

Gibbs paused a moment, desperately searching for the words to convey what he needed to say. He had just watched his baby sister come back from the dead. That was something he would never be able to un-see. He didn't even know what to do with that. How was he supposed to process that information? What was he supposed to do with that? Pretend that everything was fine? Because God knows it wasn't. _"Tony, I … I need you …"_ He replied after gaping for a moment.

"What happened?!" Tony asked, concern evident both in his face and in his voice.

 _"Someone tried to kill Annie …"_ Gibbs half-breathed, half-whimpered. _"… Again …"_

"Again?" Tony asked, curiously. "Talk to me, Jethro." He added, his voice softening, audibly. "Talk to me, what happened?" He added, gesturing to Ziva to follow him as he led her to the elevator en route to his car.

 _"I-I don't … I don't know."_ Jethro stammered, sadly, breaking Tony's heart as he recounted the events that had brought him back to the hospital prematurely. _"Joan called …"_ He began, sounding lost. _"…Said … Said someone broke into Annie's ICU room … tried to smother her …"_ Tony had to fight against the growing lump in his throat as he listened to the story told by the voice on the other end of the line. He had to be strong for Jethro, right now. Jethro needed him to be strong for him. _"Tony … Tony, her heart stopped …"_ Tony's heart clenched, painfully, in his chest, as he listened to the hitch and crack in Jethro's voice.

"Is she …" Tony began, voice trailing off as he drove to the hospital. "She … gonna be okay?" He asked, breathlessly.

 _"Yeah …"_ Jethro replied, sighing out all of his fears and anxieties and tension. _"Yeah … the docs managed to revive her … Tony … She's awake."_ He added, a small, almost non-existent ray of hope shining through his voice as he spoke.

Sighing in relief, Tony replied "That's great news, Jethro." Turning to Ziva, the two shared relieved glances as they pulled into the hospital parking garage. Though, the relief was short-lived as Tony soon realized that he would need to talk to Annie; get her side of the story behind the treason charges as well as the shooting in her home. "Listen, Jethro …" Drawing a deep breath, Tony braced himself for what he knew had to be done. "You know I gotta talk to Annie … Soon as she's up to it, of course."

"Yeah, I know." Jethro replied, softly. This wasn't his first rodeo. Though, he had to admit … He now held a new-found respect for the families of the victims that he fought so hard to get justice for. He never truly understood how they felt, until now. "She said she's ready to talk … Says that she knows how shot her … And who tried to kill her, here."

"Understood." Tony replied as he and Ziva stepped off the elevator. "I'll get her statement. And, I'll send Ziva to talk to hospital security. See what we can get from their surveillance footage."

"Sounds like a plan." Jethro confirmed, hanging up the phone, sitting with his sister while he waited for Tony to arrive.

* * *

"Annie!" Tony greeted, covering his stress and concern with a false, bright, cheery, facade. "How kind of you to rejoin us, here, in the land of the living!"

"It's good to see you, too, Tony." Annie smiled, weakly.

Sighing lightly, he knew he'd have to get down to business, sooner or later. Pulling the notepad and pen out of his jacket pocket, he replied "Look, Annie … I hate to have to do this …"

"I know." Annie replied, offering Tony an understanding half-smile. "I want to do this." She added, confidently.

"Well, then, let's get to it, shall we?" Tony replied, preparing to take Annie's statement. "Why don't you tell me what happened, the day you were shot?" He asked, slipping into Agent DiNozzo.

"And, who the hell's Simon Fischer?" Jethro demanded, finally unable to fight back 'Agent Gibbs'. He needed answers. But, after being shot looks by both Annie and Tony to stand down, he finally conceded. "Sorry." He muttered. "Continue."

Sighing, Annie decided to go back to the beginning. "Well … Back when I worked for Lena Smith … The first assignment she ever gave me was to get close to an FSB operative named Simon Fischer. His parents were both spies and as Lena put it 'You _found_ patriotism and went to The Farm. This guy _literally_ has espionage in his _blood_.'." Annie began, recalling Lena's instructions for her regarding Simon Fischer.

"The hell's that mean?" Tony questioned, curiously.

"I tried not to think about it too hard." Annie deadpanned, before getting back to her original point. "Anyway, she told me 'Get intimate enough with a man and he'll tell you everything.' …"

"So, you were sleeping with him." Jethro interjected before being shot two more looks from his sister and his lover. In lieu of responding, verbally, he simply replied with a hand motion signaling that he was zipping his lips.

"Yes. I _was_ sleeping with him." Annie admitted. "But, it was more than that." She added, catching sight of the strange look on her brother's face. "Oh, don't give me that look!" She chided. "All I meant was that … At some point along the line … Simon fell in love with me. … Hell … he killed his handler to protect me." She added, recalling the time that Simon's handler had ordered him to kill her, but, he killed his handler, instead.

"But, you … didn't feel the same way? …" Tony surmised, cautiously, trying to get a read on the younger Gibbs.

"I didn't think so … not, at first …" Annie sighed, quietly. "But, then, when he showed up at my house, completely unannounced … asked me to run away with him … hell, he practically asked me to _marry_ him …" Annie sighed, recalling Simon's offer. "I … I don't know … I can't explain it, but … God, help me … I was actually gonna do it." She finished, in complete and utter disbelief and also in shame at the thought that she was actually going to abandon her brother and his baby.

Jethro couldn't believe what he was hearing. Jumping out of his seat, he ran his hands through his silver hair as he began to pace back and forth – trying like hell to process what Annie had just confessed to. "I don't believe it!" He seethed, not chancing a look at his baby sister. After everything they'd been through, together – while he was pregnant and just beginning to heal from the loss of baby girl's father – she was just going to turn her back on them and disappear, never to be seen or heard from again. "How could you?!" He demanded, his voice audibly louder and more forceful – his anger boiling to the surface. "How could you just walk away from us – from me?! From my _daughter?!_ " He demanded, cradling his developing 'bump' in his hands, tears stealing their way down his cheeks. "From _your niece_?!"

"Jethro." Tony interjected, softly, setting his pen and paper down for the moment as he turned and halted his lover's pacing with a tender grip on his forearms. "Maybe you shouldn't be here, for this." He whispered, tenderly, trying to look out for his lover's feelings.

"No." Annie interjects, gaining the attention of both men. "No, Leroy, you … You need to hear this."

"Damn right, I do!" Jethro barked, before turning to his attention on Tony. "I'm not goin' anywhere."

Sighing, Tony knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with Jethro when he got like this. "Okay, fine …" He conceded, quietly. "But, just … Just … try to stay calm, okay?" He begged, a pleading look in his eyes.

Drawing a deep breath, Jethro knew that Tony was right. Stressing himself out wasn't good for the baby. "Okay." He agreed, quietly, before reclaiming his seat.

"So …" Tony spoke, picking up his pen and paper and returning to the task at hand. "You said you were going to do it …" He summarized, shifting his pen to his other hand as he paused to give his lover's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before continuing. "What stopped you?" He asked, curiously.

Tilting her chin upward toward her brother, Annie replied "You did." And, those two simple little words were enough to melt the hardened Marine's resolve to stay mad at his baby sister. "I was packing and I … I found that picture of all of us from the gender reveal party and one of your ultrasound printouts and I … Well, I knew I couldn't do it." Annie confessed, quietly. "I knew I could never leave you and the baby behind." She added, softly.

"I'm sorry I snapped." Jethro muttered, so quietly that Annie had to strain to hear it, fighting against the lump growing in his throat. He couldn't believe he'd been so quick to judge his baby sister.

"'s all good." Annie smiled, dismissively. "Anyway …" She added, drawing a deep breath to refocus her concentration. "I went to tell Simon that I'd changed my mind … That I … I couldn't go with him …" She trailed off, recalling just what had happened. "But, I never got the words out before Simon caught sight of someone walking in the door and he spun me around and … and, there she was."

"Who?" Tony prompted, taking down all that the younger Gibbs sibling was telling him.

"Lena Smith." Annie replied, in a cold, dead, tone that not even Jethro had ever heard pass through her lips.

"Whoa, wait a minute." Tony interjected. "You're telling me that … Lena Smith – your former boss – snuck into your house and shot you and Simon?"

"Yes, I am." Annie confirmed, her face and voice unwavering. "She shot Simon in the chest, twice, before turning the gun on me and firing two more shots."

"Were there any other witnesses?" Tony asked – ever the professional.

"Doubtful." Annie replied, flatly. "The pistol had a silencer on it. I'd be shocked if anybody heard or saw anything."

* * *

Walking up to the nurses' station, Ziva showed them her badge and ID, introducing herself. "Agent Ziva David. NCIS." She spoke, briskly.

"What can I do for you, Agent David?" The nurse at the desk asked carefully.

"I am here because someone attempted to murder one of your patients, this evening." Ziva elaborated crisply.

"I know just who you're referring to." The nurse replied, in realization.

"Thank you." Ziva replied, somewhat more gently. "I was hoping I could speak with your head of security."

"Of course." The nurse replied, picking up her phone and dialing the extension. "Ms. Harpeneau." She greeted, courteously. "Yes, there's a federal agent here to speak with you about the incident in the ICU, this afternoon." She elaborated. After pausing for the response, she added. "Yes, I'll let her know. Thank you." Hanging up the phone, she turned back to Ziva. "Ms. Harpeneau's on her way to see you, now."

"Thank you." Ziva replied, taking a seat in the ICU waiting room, as she waited for the head of security to arrive. Though, she didn't have to wait long.

"Boy, you federal agents don't waste any time." The department head greeted, with a professional smile on her face. "Lindsey Harpeneau." She introduced herself, extending her hand to the NCIS agent.

"Ms. Harpeneau, my name is Agent Ziva David." Ziva replied, courteously, accepting the proffered hand. "I wanted to speak with you about the incident in the ICU involving the attempt on Ms. Gibbs' life."

"Absolutely." Lindsey replied. "Whatever you need, just say the word. I'm happy to do whatever I can to help that poor woman." The department head elaborated, sighing lightly, as she took Ziva's confused countenance as a cue to continue. "She's had it so rough the last couple of days."

"Two attempts on her life in two days." Ziva replied, recapping the attacks. "Yes, I would say she certainly _has_ had a rough couple of days." She added, looking back up at the other woman. "I was hoping I could get a look at your security footage. See if we can get a look at the attacker's face – in a perfect world."

"Of course!" The security head replied, gesturing for Ziva to follow her. "Right this way, Agent David. The footage is stored in my office. I'd be happy to show it to you."

* * *

"What about what happened, here, in the hospital?" Tony questioned, progressing on to the attempt made on Annie's life in her hospital bed.

"Yeah, that was Lena, too." Annie replied. "I woke up and she had one hand over my mouth and was trying to plug my nose with the other." She added, recalling what had happened. "Joan came in and pulled her off of me. … That … That's the last thing I remember." She elaborated, until she came to the end of her memories.

"That's great, Annie." Tony replied, jotting down the last of Annie's statement. Looking back up, he caught the cautious glance from Jethro, Tony knew he'd have to fill Annie in on what had happened during her coma.

Catching the strange glances exchanged between the two men before her. "What's going on?" She asked, cautiously.

Sighing heavily, Jethro moved to stand next to his sister's bedside as he took her hand in his before speaking. "Listen, Annie … There's something I gotta tell ya and it's not exactly gonna be easy to hear …" Jethro sighed, reluctantly. "Langley's accusing you of treason." He elaborated, knowing it was best to just rip the band-aid off and get right to the point. He knew no good ever came from beating around the bush.

"What?!" Annie growled, clenching at the bed sheets with her free hand. "That is outrageous!"

"I know." Jethro agreed, his voice uncharacteristically gentle, as he softly stroked her hair with his free hand in an attempt to soothe her. An attempt which appeared to be working if the readings on her vitals monitor was anything to go on. "I know." He reiterated. "Auggie's working with Tony and the rest of my team are working around the clock to clear your name." He added, hoping to assuage some of his sister's anxieties.

"Knowing that Lena Smith tried to kill you, twice, should poke a few holes in Langley's case." Tony smirked, eager to throw the information he had regarding the fact that the very operative Langley had chosen to head their investigation against Annie had also tried to kill Annie into the faces of anyone and everyone at the CIA.

"Hopefully, _more_ than a few." Annie smirked, weakly. She knew it would be one hell of an uphill battle to take on the entire CIA. But, she also knew she had great people backing her up. With their help, she had every faith and confidence that she would come out on top. She just hoped they could beat this wrap soon, before it did too much damage to her career … Or her life.

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
** As always, I hope you've enjoyed this little snippet. Reviews are love! Don't forget to review, subscribe and favorite if you like this story as much as I like writing it.

~Skye Coulson


	9. The Sun Is Rising

**Going the Distance**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:  
** As always, I own nothing.

 **Rating:  
** M

 **Genre:  
** Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family

 **Pairing:  
** Tibbs

 **Lyrics Used:  
** Britt Nicole - "The Sun Is Rising"  
Hayden Pannettierre "Don't Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet"

* * *

The Sun Is Rising

* * *

 _Every high and every low you're gonna go through | You don't have to be afraid | I am with you | In the moments you feel so weak, you feel like stopping | Let the hope you have light the road you're walking_

 _You're gonna make it | You're gonna make it | The night can only last for so long_

 _Whatever you're facing | If your heart is breaking | There's a promise for the ones who just hold on | Lift up your eyes and see | The sun is rising_

 _Even when you can't imagine how | How you're ever gonna find your way out | Even when you're drowning in your doubt | Just look beyond the clouds_

 _Just look beyond the clouds_

…

 _The sun is rising_

* * *

"What'd ya get off the security footage?"Tony queried, watching Ziva walk into Annie's room.

"We got lucky." Ziva announced, pulling the footage up on her phone to play for Tony and the others, before turning toward Annie. "Hello, Annie. It is good to see you awake." She added, with a soft smile.

"Thanks, Ziva." Annie smiled weakly. "It's good to see you, too."

"You said we got lucky?" Jethro prompted, eager to see if the security footage could back up what Annie had told them. He knew they'd need all the evidence they could get if they were gonna take on the CIA.

"Yes." Ziva replied, turning the phone outward for everyone to see the video. On the screen, Annie, Tony, and Jethro all watched as a tall, slender woman with short curly red hair in a lavender blouse stood over Annie's bed. From behind, one of the guards questioned the woman. _"Hey. What are you doin'?"_ The man in the suit behind her questioned. _"CPR!"_ The woman standing over the bed barked. _"Get in here and help me!"_ She barked, turning to face the man behind her. When the guard behind her moved to join in her efforts, she whirled around and punched him in the face – rendering him unconscious on the floor.

Pausing the footage, Ziva smiled proudly. "With that nice facial shot, I am certain that Abby will get us an ID within no time!"

"Oh, we don't need Abby for an ID." Tony replied, smugly, replacing his notepad in his jacket pocket. "Annie, here, already told us who shot and tried to smother her."

"You did?" Ziva questioned, shocked. "You know who this is?"

"Absolutely." Annie replied, confidently. "But, don't get me wrong. I'm beyond relieved to see that we got her on film. But, that was my former boss – Lena Smith." She added, reiterating what she had told Tony, previously.

"'Lena Smith'?" Ziva repeated, trying to recall where else she knew that name from. "Tony … Did you not say that Lena Smith was the woman heading the CIA's investigation into Annie's treason charges?"

"I did, indeed." Tony replied, smugly. He knew they had the bitch over a barrel. All that was left to do was to seal the deal.

"Well, this should poke a few holes in their case." Ziva concluded, pocketing her phone.

"I don't just wanna 'poke a few holes'." Tony seethed.

"I wanna shoot it outta the sky, dead." Jethro completed his lover's thought in a cold, dead, voice that they'd never heard his use before.

"Sounds good to me." Annie agreed.

"Agreed." Ziva deadpanned. Lena Smith had caused far more than enough damage. Now, it was time to make her pay. And, pay dearly, she would.

* * *

A few weeks later found Annie back at home – released from the hospital – when her phone rang. Reading the caller ID, part of her hoped that they had found Lena and that Lena would be held accountable for her actions. Ever since they'd determined that it had been Lena that had shot Annie and Lena that had also tried to smother Annie in the hospital, the CIA operative had seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth. Lena Smith had gone completely off the grid – inciting a manhunt to track her down. Accepting the call, she said a silent prayer for good news. "Hello?" She greeted, cautiously.

" _Annie!_ " The voice on the other end of the line greeted. " _It's Joan._ "

"Joan!" Annie replied, perking up. "What's goin' on?"

" _I just wanted you to know …_ " Joan replied, as Annie could almost _hear_ her smiling on the other end. " _… You have been formally cleared of all charges._ "

"So, I can get back to work?!" Annie asked, hopefully. She wanted to get back out into the field. Ideally, she wanted to help with the search for Lena though she knew that was far from being possible. But, after being benched for the better part of a month, she was beginning to go stir crazy. She really just needed to get back to work and to start feeling useful, again.

" _Yes._ " Joan replied, smiling proudly. " _You are welcome to return to work and we will see you, Monday!_ "

"That is the best news I've gotten all month!" Annie replied, smiling in relief as she and her boss said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.

* * *

Later that night, Annie had met up with Jethro, Tony, Ziva, McGee, Abby and Auggie at her brother's house to celebrate her victory and her return to the job she loved. "I'd like to propose a toast!" Auggie spoke up, raising his glass. "To Annie – the only one of our group to survive not one but _TWO_ murder attempts _while_ beating the wrap for treason! You are, milady, what I would ever-so-lovingly call … a true badass!"

"Here, here!" The rest of the group of friends chimed in, simultaneously, as Annie just smiled – grateful for her support group.

Taking a sip of her drink, Annie replied "Well, I can't take all the credit!" She smiled, surveying all the love and support surrounding her. "You all had a hand in helping me beat the treason wrap – I don't think I could have done it, without you!"

"Poppycock!" Abby declared. "You're a Gibbs! You can do anything!" She added, gaining a round of laughter from the group around her.

"She's right, Annie." Auggie spoke up. "You and your brother are two of the strongest people I have ever had the privilege to know!"

"Well, thank you, Auggie!" Annie replied, blushing slightly from the compliment. "And, Leroy, I _definitely_ couldn't have done all of this without _you_!" She added, in all seriousness, as she turned toward her brother. "You are, now, and always _have been_ my rock! If not for you, I probably wouldn't be here, right now." She added, the sincerity in her eyes echoed in her voice – bringing a tear to her brother's eye.

"Thanks, Annie." Gibbs replied, struggling to talk around the growing lump in his throat.

"Here, here!" Everyone replied, raising their glasses in another toast.

* * *

 _Three and a half months later_

* * *

 _I thought things couldn't get much worse | But guess what they did | You hit my heart upside with a wrecking ball | Oh, but, that's what I get | But, I'm not goin' nowhere | I can live on my prayers | 'Cause I'm done playin' nice | I'm done runnin' for life | 'Cause ya think that you got me scared  
_

 _Come hell, come high water | Ya push on me, I'm gonna push back harder | I got a whole lot more than a little bit left | Oh, so don't put dirt on my grave just yet | Oh, so don't put dirt on my grave just yet  
_

 _Hey! | Well, it's gonna take more, gonna take more, gonna take more to pull me under | Gonna take more, gonna take more, gonna take more than that | To pull me under_

* * *

It was nearing the end of Jethro's pregnancy. His 'bump' had grown into quite the bulge, now, occasionally affecting his sense of self-esteem. Tonight was one of he nights that had him feeling … less than attractive. On nights like this, he was grateful for having someone like Tony DiNozzo in his life. "I'll tell you what." Tony purred in his lover's ear. "Why don't I go out and get us something for dinner … and for desert … How about I show you just how attractive you really are?" The warm, sultry, and seductive whisper definitely had Jethro more than a little aroused.

"Mmmm." Jethro keened, though he would never admit it. "That sounds good." He replied, breathlessly as Tony claimed his lips in a heated, passionate kiss. In moments like this, Jethro wondered what he'd done to deserve a man like Tony; a man that was so passionate, and warm and loving and willing to do whatever it took to make him happy.

Finally pulling away, Tony smiled as he grabbed his keys and his wallet. "I'll see ya later." He replied, turning to leave, before adding "I love you."

"I love you, too." Jethro smiled, as Tony stepped out of the door and down the walk to the driveway. Listening to the mustang's engine roaring to life, Jethro smiled to himself as he cradled his bulge in his hands. "We sure lucked out with Tony, didn't we, princess?" He spoke to the bump, softly, before turning on the TV, searching for something to keep himself, entertained until his younger lover returned with dinner.

After scanning the channels for a few minutes, Jethro's curiosity was piqued when he heard the front door creak open. "That was fast." He called out, carefully rising to his feet and turning toward the door only to have his blood run cold as he instinctively grabbed the pistol from the drawer in the end table when he found himself face to face with none other than Lena Smith. "The hell are you doin' here?" He demanded, quietly, as he kept the pistol trained directly on the intruder in his home.

"Ya know, you really should lock your door, Jethro … But, I digress … This is what you wanted, isn't it?" Lena taunted, cockily. "To get me alone? … To kill me?" She continued on, smugly. "I know all about what happened in Mexico. How you shot the man that murdered your wife and daughter in cold blood."

"You don't know the first damn thing about me or my life." Jethro hissed, unwavering.

"Oh, but, I do." Lena taunted. "You killed … for malice." She added, in the same smug voice. "That changes a person."

"I walked away just fine." Jethro hissed.

"Of course you did." Lena replied, patronizingly. "The first time, maybe. But, the second. That _definitely_ changes things." She paused, letting out an ironic chuckle. "Ya know, it's funny. You're already ready to kill me and you don't even know everything I've done."

"Enlighten me." Jethro replied, his voice calm and dangerous. Deadly.

"Did they ever find out who put that bomb in Jai's car?" Lena asked, cocking an eyebrow smugly. "That's right, I didn't think so. … After all, I would know … Since it was me."

"You murdered Jai." Jethro surmised, quietly.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that." The intruder teased, taking a sick amount of enjoyment in taunting the expectant father-to-be. "But, I needed to frame Annie for _something –_ something big – and when Jai threatened to out my plans to Annie, well … It was all just too perfect."

"You bitch." Jethro hissed, just itching to pull the trigger. "Why frame Annie?"

"Because I've seen what she's capable of, Jethro." Lena replied, calmly. "She's an exceptionally strong and powerful young woman – I suspect you had a hand in that – and, together, we could have been unstoppable." She added, disturbingly excited by the prospect. "All I needed to do was get her under my watch and I could have molded her into something _fantastic_ -"

"My sister is not some pile of clay for you to mold into _anything_." Jethro demanded.

"Oh, I wouldn't have had to." Lena replied, confidently. "All she needed was a taste of true power and she would have been hooked."

"And, when she wouldn't play by your rules, you had to kill her, right?" Jethro sneered. "Keep her quiet?"

"Well, I had really hoped it wouldn't come to that-" Lena began, coolly, before being cut off by three bullets in her chest.

 _That oughtta teach her to mess with me and my family._ Jethro thought to himself. Though his victory was short-lived as he felt a strong vice-grip wrapping around his arms – restraining him – as another face he never wanted to see again came into view from somewhere behind him, clapping slowly. "Bravo, Leroy. Bra-vo." Henry Wilcox taunted, moving to stand directly in front of his former son-in-law.

"What the hell do you want?" Jethro growled, struggling against the grasp restraining him. Though, he had to admit that being eight and a half months pregnant didn't make that any easier. "Let go of me!" He hissed, venomously.

"Oh, it's quite simple, really." Henry replied, calmly. "I'm a father without a son. … A grieving father who would do anything to hold on to any last link to his son." He added, running his hands over Jethro's 'baby bump'. The sensation made Jethro physically feel ill as he fought the urge to vomit in Henry's face.

"Don't touch – AH!" Jethro began, only to be silenced by the sharp stick of a needle in his neck. Within seconds, the expectant father-to-be had fallen limp into the arms of his captors.

"Careful!" Henry hissed as one of his henchmen hoisted Jethro's unconscious form into his arms. "He's carrying my _granddaughter_ , you imbecile!"

"Sorry, sir." The henchmen replied, stabilizing the pregnant man in his arms.

"Just get him in the car." Henry ordered, briskly. "That meddlesome DiNozzo'll be home, soon." With a curt nod, the other two men hurriedly carried Jethro out to the waiting getaway car as Henry paused, standing over Lena's dead body. "What a shame." He tisked, casually. "You woulda served me quite well." Henry hummed, thoughtfully. "Ah, well. What's done is done. At least you provided a quite convenient distraction for me." He shrugged, turning to take his leave. "So, I really should be thanking you."

Stepping through the front door, Tony's blood ran cold at the sight of Lena Smith's dead body on the floor. _Shit!_ He thought to himself, dropping the food onto the table by the door in favor of drawing his weapon. "Jethro?" He called, as he began to worry when he saw Jethro's pistol lying discarded on the floor, next to the body, as he moved about the house, in search of the older man. "Jethro?!" He called, a little louder.

When he still received no response, Tony began to worry, as he felt his heart rate rising as he continued his search. He began systematically clearing every room – one by one – until he finally circled back around to the living room. As he entered the room, Tony's eyes scanned the room for anything out of the ordinary when he froze to the spot as his eyes landed on an emptied syringe lying on the floor. "Shit." He muttered to himself, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Dialing an ever-familiar number, he pressed the phone to the ear while waiting, impatiently for the other end of the line to click to life. "Annie!" He greeted, sharply, as the younger Gibbs finally answered. "It's Tony."

" _Tony?_ " Annie greeted, concern evident in her voice. " _Tony, what's going on? Is everything all right?_ "

"Uh, no." Tony muttered. "No … No, it isn't." He sighed, finally getting to the point. "It's Jethro."

" _Oh God …_ " Annie muttered, fear clenching at her heart and twisting, painfully. " _Tony, what the hell happened?! Is Leroy okay?! Is the baby all right?_ "

"I wish to hell I knew." Tony replied, voice trembling audibly. "He's gone, Annie." He muttered, not wanting to believe it.

" ** _WHAT_**?!" Annie screeched, causing Tony to rip the phone away from his ear. " _Tony, what the_ hell _are you talking about_?!" She demanded, rushing around the room as she gathered her keys, preparing to leave.

"I went to get us something for dinner and when I came back … He was gone – nowhere to be found and Lena was dead on the living room floor!" Tony replied, recalling the events of the evening as he knew them. "Annie … I found a fucking _needle_ on the floor … an empty syringe."

" _Shit_!" Annie muttered, slamming the car door shut, as she fired the engine up. " _Listen, Tony, call the others! I'm on my way …_ " She instructed, all the while, plotting her revenge in her head. " _We're gonna find him, Tony. I swear it! Whatever it takes, we_ will _find him!_ " She swore, ending the call as she threw the phone into the passenger seat. _Now, it's personal._ She thought to herself, seething, as she knew who she suspected was behind what had happened to her brother. _I will find you, Henry Wilcox … And, I will_ ** _kill_** _you._ She thought to herself as she drove like a bat out of hell toward her brother's home.

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
** As always, I hope you've enjoyed this offering! All signed reviews will be rewarded with a preview of my new Tibbs music video as well as a preview of chapter 10!

~Skye Coulson


	10. The Hammer's Comin' Down

**Going the Distance**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:  
** As always, I own nothing.

 **Rating:  
** M

 **Genre:  
** Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family

 **Pairing:  
** Tibbs

 **Lyrics Used:  
** Anna Calvi - "The Heart of You"  
Nickelback "The Hammer's Comin' Down"  
The Cheetah Girls "A La Nanita Nana"

* * *

The Hammer's Comin' Down

* * *

 _But, there's a dream I keep | In a world so dark and deep | The one true paradox | I'm terrified to meet | There's a dream I keep | I go in when I sleep | There's nothing they can do | No one will keep me from the heart of you_

 _You are illicit | You are the shield against the fire | Of all that's hollow | Of all the bodies on the pyre_

 _I am unshaken | I am the one who will appear | As a long rising sound | That trembles in your ear_

* * *

After Lena's body had been cleared away and dealt with, that just left one issue to deal with. The issue of jurisdiction. When a CIA operative is found dead in the home of an NCIS agent who goes missing the very same night, the lines become virtually invisible.

"A CIA operative was shot dead." Arthur Campbell declared. "That makes it CIA's jurisdiction." He reasoned, firmly.

"Yeah, and an NCIS agent was abducted." Tony growled, agitated by the waste of time. "That makes this NCIS jurisdiction."

"That's purely speculation." Arthur countered, trying to placate the agitated agent. "You don't _know_ that Agent Gibbs was abducted."

"I found a fucking _syringe_ on the floor!" Tony roared, unable to contain himself, any longer. "What part of that says 'speculation' to you?! A man who is eight and a half months pregnant is not just gonna shove a needle in his arm and-"

"Boys! Boys!" Annie interjected, standing between the DCS and the NCIS agent who was rapidly advancing on him. "I think we can all agree that this is no time for a pissing contest!" She barked, fighting her own agitations. "We can pull the tape measures out, later. Right now, I think we can all agree that the primary objective is to find my brother and bring him home, safe and sound." There was a series of nods all around her as the various agents from both agencies agreed with her sentiment. "Good. Now, I think I might have a solution that everybody will be able to live with." She added, carefully, hoping to settle the dispute once and for all.

"I'm listening." Arthur Campbell prompted, curiously.

"Look, I know Leroy's team won't be able to _not_ look for my brother." Annie began, carefully. "They all love him as much as I do and want him back just the same. And, I think we can all agree that both agencies – as well as Leroy – could benefit from a little inter-agency cooperation." She added, steeling herself for any resistance that she might be met with. "Now, if Arthur and Joan have no objections, I'd like to propose that NCIS comes to Langley and works in cooperation with us to find my brother."

The various NCIS agents gathered around all exchanged anxious glances as Joan and Arthur Campbell exchanged looks as if discussing the possibility telepathically. Finally, Arthur broke the silence. "I have one condition."

"What?" Tony growled, through gritted teeth, earning himself a smack on the arm from Ziva.

"I want the CIA to run point." Arthur declared, his voice final, leaving no room for argument. "Annie's the best around when it comes to search and rescue missions – she's single-handedly worked more search and rescue operations than anyone the NCIS has to offer. "I know she's the one I'd want coming for me, if I were in Jethro's shoes."

Before Tony could argue, Abby gripped his arm – hard – as she whispered, quietly. "He's right. Look, I know you don't like giving up control … But, they have better resources and they _will_ find Gibbs." She hissed, as Tony's body language softened.

"Fine." Tony relinquished, hating handing over point to another agency. The only reason he agreed, in the first place, was because he knew he could trust Annie.

"One other thing, Arthur." Annie spoke, carefully, catching Tony's reluctant acquiescence. "I'd like Agent DiNozzo to run point with me, on this." Catching the two dumbfounded looks, she carried on. "It makes sense. Tony is Leroy's second in command – the team leader in my brother's absence. He's their senior field agent and – as this is going to be a joint effort, it makes sense to have agents from both agencies run point, together."

"It makes sense." Joan offered, in agreement. "God knows no one is more motivated to find Jethro than his sister and his lover." She reasoned.

"All right." Arthur finally acquiesced. "Annie and DiNozzo are both running point."

* * *

"All right, everyone." Annie spoke, her voice loud with an air of authority, as she addressed the group of CIA and NCIS agents gathered around her in the briefing room at Langley. "As most of you may or may not already know. This is NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs." She added, pulling up a photo of her brother on the big screen behind her. "My brother." _Jethro'd be proud if he could see his baby sister, right now._ Tony thought to himself as he watched the younger Gibbs address the various agents around her. "Earlier this evening, Special Agent DiNozzo, called me – reporting that my brother had been abducted."

"Do we know who took him?" Ziva questioned.

"I have my suspicions." Annie replied, darkly. "I've been hearing some chatter, recently, that Henry Wilcox has been waiting until the right time to abduct Leroy with the intent to hold him hostage until the baby is born." She elaborated. "At which time, he means to kill Leroy and disappear with his granddaughter."

"How far along _is_ Agent Gibbs?" One of the CIA operatives questioned.

"Currently, my brother is thirty-four weeks pregnant." Annie replied, horrified realization dawning on the faces all around her. "My sentiments, exactly." She agreed, catching the looks she was getting. "Now, I know that doesn't leave us much time to find my brother and bring him back home, safely." She conceded. "Which is why I want every available operative working on this. McGee, I want you and Abby helping Auggie out in tech ops. I want you to trace Henry's movements by any means necessary. His phone, credit and debit card activity – I don't care – find him!" She barked as the three aforementioned operatives nodded, curtly, before setting off to their assignments. "Agents David, DiNozzo, and myself will lead the charge in the field. I want everybody else combing through anything and everything we've got on Henry Wilcox until we can pinpoint where he'd hide out with Leroy!" With orders assigned, the agents all went their separate ways.

"You really think we'll be able to find him, in time?" Tony asked, anxiously.

"We have to." Annie replied, darkly. "I've been hunting Henry Wilcox for too long to fail, now."

* * *

Slowly, Gibbs blinked against the lights in the room around him, still somewhat groggy. As he finally came to, completely – he remembered what had happened, the night before. He tried to get up – to find some way out – when he felt his wrists strapped to the sides of the bed he was laying in. His feet were bound, as well.

"Ahhh, so good to see you awake." Henry patronized. "Oh, don't worry." He added, taking in the concerned expression on the father-to-be's face. "I had the knock-out serum specially designed to render _you_ unconscious without jeopardizing your baby girl."

"You unimaginable bastard." Gibbs seethed, still struggling futilely against the restraints binding his extremities. "What the hell do you want from me?" He demanded, masking his fear by lashing out in anger.

"Well, now, that's really quite simple, my dear boy." Henry replied, pacing around in front of the bed where Jethro lay. "What I _want_ is kill you and start a new life with my granddaughter."

"You'll never get away with this." Jethro seethed. "It's just a matter of time before they find you."

"Ahh, yes." Henry concurred. "But, you see … I've always been able to stay one step ahead of my friends at the CIA." He added, cockily. "By the time, they catch up to me, my granddaughter and I'll be long gone."

"Maybe." Jethro conceded, cryptically. "But, you're forgetting something."

"And, just what might that be?" Henry questioned, with an air of bemused curiosity to his voice.

"You've kidnapped an agent from a _second_ federal agency." Jethro smirked. "You may be able to stay one step ahead of Langley. … But, can you stay one step ahead of both Langley _and_ NCIS?"

* * *

 _Two Weeks Later_

* * *

 _This is the calm before the coming storm | This is the red sky rollin' | Without warning now | This is the fight that we've been waiting for | And, there's no sense in running | The hammer's coming down | The hammer's coming down | The hammer's comin'_

 _Once it's started, there's no turning back | But, I'll be with you when the sky turns black | 'Cause finding faith will always be the hardest | While you're standing in the heart of darkness_

 _If there is one thing I can promise you | We'll see the light again_

* * *

"We're runnin' outta time." Tony sighed, hunched over the vacant desk across from Annie in the CIA's bullpen. "Jethro's due date is one month from today."

"Yeah, I know …" Annie sighed. "Which means, that baby could be making her grand entrance into the world, any day, now."

"I know." Tony replied sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "God – I _hate_ this!" He added, in a sudden, angry, outburst, as he slammed his fists on the desk. "I hate this, Annie." He added, his voice notably more subdued. "I promised him … I _swore_ to him that I'd be there with him when he has the baby."

Reaching out across the desks between them, Annie's heart went out to the man before her as she gently took Tony's hand in her own. "And, you _will_ be." She added, her voice sounding so sure and confident that Tony desperately _wanted_ to believe her. "We're gonna find him, Tony … And, I will personally take down the son of a bitch that put in this position." There was no need to clarify who 'the son of a bitch' was.

"For Jethro's sake – and the baby's – I really hope you're right." Tony replied, hating the feeling of helplessness that had taken hold of him the moment he'd realized that Jethro was missing and refused to let go. "I really hope you're right."

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!" Abby came barreling into the bullpen, with a bemused Auggie bringing up the rear behind her. "Sorry!" Abby apologized. "Just – force of habit."

"Abby, sweetie, just get to the point." Annie replied, ever-so-patiently.

"Right!" Abby replied, gathering her thoughts. "So, Auggie wrote this bad-ass algorithm and – long story short – we were able to sort through a ton of shell companies and ghost transactions and we found where Henry Wilcox is holding Gibbs!"

"That's fantastic!" Tony cried, jumping out of his seat.

"I could kiss you guys, right now!" Annie replied, equally excited, grabbing her badge and her gun and racing for the door with Tony hot on her heels. "SEND THE COORDINATES TO MY PHONE!" She shouted over her shoulder. "ZIVA! WE GOT HENRY! AND, I WANT A MED TEAM BEHIND US!" She shouted, as the remaining member of Team Gibbs hurriedly joined them.

"Does she always do that?" Abby questioned, curiously, after Annie and Tony disappeared.

"Every time." Auggie smiled. "The coordinates are already on her phone."

"You … are a rock star!" Abby grinned, wrapping Auggie in one of her famous hugs.

"I try." Auggie replied, smirking mischievously, as he returned to his station.

* * *

What felt like hours later, Annie, Tony, and Ziva were pulling up outside of an abandoned warehouse. "Why do the bad guys always have to hide out in the same abandoned warehouse?" Tony commented.

"Because the bad guys have no imagination." Annie replied, parking the car as they all got out, making their way toward the building. "Though, I must say … I really expected more from Henry Wilcox."

Positioning themselves at the entrance to the building, the three agents fell silent as Annie signaled for Tony to take the opposite side of the door with Ziva backing him up. Mouthing the numbers, Annie signaled a count to three before the agents stormed the building.

* * *

The pain had been gradually increasing in Jethro's abdomen as he felt his uterine muscles contracting in regular intervals. _Shit._ He thought to himself, plastering a cool facade on his face to mask the pain. _Not here, princess … Not like this._ This could _not_ be happening, right now. He was _not_ going to have his baby in this abandoned warehouse.

Though, he guessed he should have known that his captor would see right through the facade. "Ah … Looks like our little princess will be making her grand entrance at any moment, now …" Henry taunted, causing Henry's insides to churn. "You forget, Leroy, that I'm a father, myself … I remember the day my ex-wife went into labor with Jai … I recognize the signs of labor when I see them."

Jethro just fought against the pain. He could only hope that Tony and Annie and the others would find him before it was too late. The father-to-be couldn't afford to let himself think about what would happen to his little girl if Henry Wilcox was allowed to touch her.

* * *

They had cleared every room they'd come across and Annie was beginning to lose hope. However, her gaze soon met Tony's as they heard a pained cry ring throughout the air. Realization soon registered on both of their faces as they spoke in unison.

"Leroy!"

"Jethro!"

The three agents immediately took off at a dead run in the direction where the sound had come from. They knew they had to be getting close when they were met by a team of armed guards. Being matched three against three, each operative claimed their own guard. Annie soon disarmed her guard with a roundhouse kick to the face. Pinning him to the floor, she holstered her weapon as finished him off with her brother's signature neck-snap.

Tony took a stiff upper cut to the face before sweeping his leg under his guard's feet. Unfortunately, the guard jumped back up – aiming his weapon at Tony. "I don't have time for this shit!" He growled, drawing his own weapon, before firing three rounds into the guard's chest.

* * *

Hearing the three shots echoing through the air, Jethro heaved a mental sigh of relief as the latest contraction subsided. They were getting stronger. Soon – he knew – they would get more and more frequent. But, at least there was an end in sight. He knew those shots were Tony coming for him. _I knew he'd come …_ Jethro thought to himself.

"I see your friends have decided to join our little birthday party." Henry smiled, patronizingly.

"I told you you'd never get away with this." Jethro smiled, victoriously.

* * *

Ziva dropped in on her guard from behind – wrapping her legs around his neck – as she hung from a beam, overhead. Once the guard fell to the ground, she dropped to the floor, surveying her handiwork with a satisfied smile. "Let's go." Annie spoke, in a hushed and urgent tone.

Following Annie up to the door to a room where they could hear Jethro groaning in pain on the other side of the door. Annie shared a sympathetic look with Tony before she gave a second hand signal for the count to three before kicking the door down, as Tony immediately ran to Jethro's side while Annie and Ziva kept Henry distracted.

"Annie." Henry greeted, in a feigned cheery tone. "So wonderful to see you!" Turning to Ziva, he approached the former Mossad operative. "And, who is this lovely creature?" He purred in a tone that made Annie sick. Rolling her eyes, Ziva silently gripped Henry's wrist as he reached up to caress her face, wrenching away from her face, painfully. "Ah-ha." Henry declared, getting back to the matter at hand. "Feisty … I like that."

The crowd was soon distracted by a loud groan from the bed where Jethro lay. "Any minute, now, I'll have my granddaughter – my only link to my lost son-"

"Kidnapping Jai's daughter won't bring him back." Annie reasoned.

"And, neither will murdering the man your son loved." Ziva piled on.

"I know that." Henry snapped. "I'm not trying to bring Jai back – I'm not a fool." He hissed. "I'm merely a grieving father desperately trying to cling to whatever little shred of his late son he can get his hands on. What's so wrong with that?" However, that question went unanswered as Annie fired a single shot into Henry's head.

Watching Henry fall to the floor, lifeless, Annie turned to Ziva. "Ziva! Get the med team in here – NOW!" She barked, watching the other woman race out of the room, she turned her attention on her brother. "You doin' okay, Leroy?"

"I think it's time." Tony spoke up on his lover's behalf – aching for the pain written in the older man's steely blue eyes. "I think he's in labor."

"How long?" Annie questioned – praying there was still time to get her brother to the hospital before the baby came.

"Few hours." Jethro panted – his chest heaving in exhaustion from fighting to hide the contractions from Henry – gritting his teeth as another one took hold. "They're gettin' stronger and … More frequent." He elaborated with a pained grimace.

"We need to get him to the hospital – now." Tony surmised, carding his fingers through the older man's silver hair in an effort to try to comfort and calm him.

"Ziva!" Annie barked into the comm. "Where the _hell_ is that med team?!" She demanded, urgently. Jethro had to admit … Seeing his baby sister at work, for the first time, he knew he'd never been so proud, in his life. Before she could get a response on her comm link, she saw the med team charging through the door – gurney in hand – while Annie dug through Henry's pockets before locating the key to the shackles around Jethro's wrists and ankles. Once they had him freed, they carefully helped him out of the bed and onto the gurney.

* * *

 _A la nanita nana, nanita ella, nanita ella | Mi niña tiene sueño, bendito sea, bendito sea | A la nanita nana, nanita ella, nanita ella | Mi niña tiene sueño, bendito sea, bendito sea_

 _Fuentecito que corre, clara y sonora | Ruiseñor que en la selva | Cantando y llora | Calla mientras la cuna se balancea | A la nanita nana nanita ella | A la nanita nana nanita ella | Mi niña tiene sueño bendito sea bendito sea_

* * *

Sitting in the hospital waiting room, Annie was soon snapped out of her thoughts as she heard her encrypted cell ring. "Gibbs." She answered, curtly.

" _Annie._ " Joan Campbell greeted, relieved that her operative was safe. " _I need a sit rep with Leroy._ "

"Leroy's fine." Annie replied, anxiously. "He was in early labor when we got there. We're at the hospital, now. Tony's in the delivery room with him."

" _That's good to hear._ " Joan replied, relieved to hear that Jethro and his baby would be okay. " _What about Henry?_ " Joan asked, carefully.

"Henry Wilcox is dead." Annie replied, in a cold, lethal, tone that Joan had never heard her use, before.

" _Good._ " Joan replied. " _Keep me updated on the progress with Leroy and the baby. I wanna meet that little girl, first chance I get._ "

"Hey, she's _my_ niece!" Annie smiled. "I get first dibs!" The two women shared a laugh at that comment before saying their goodbyes.

* * *

The pain of the contractions had become nearly unbearable as Jethro screamed at the top of his lungs. In moments like this, Tony wished he could take the older man's place. He would have gladly endured the pain of childbirth in Jethro's place if it meant sparing the older man that same pain. "All right, Mr. Gibbs." The doctor spoke, upon having examined Jethro's dilation progress. "You're fully dilated." He announced, happily. "On the next contraction, I want you to start pushing."

Gibbs just nodded his understanding of the directions. In the past, he'd been shot, stabbed, and even blown-up. But, the pain of childbirth was worse than all of those combined. He wasn't sure how much more of it, he could take. Sensing his distress, Tony just clung to his hand even tighter as he spoke words of encouragement. "Babe, I can't even _begin_ to imagine what you must be going through … But, just hang in there. I promise you, I'll stay right here – right by your side the whole time – just like I swore I would." He spoke, gently, using his free hand to stroke the older man's face in the way that he knew always soothed him. "And, all the pain you're going through, now, will all be worth it in the end when you finally get to hold your little girl in your arms for the first time."

Jethro knew Tony was right. He had to focus on his baby girl. He knew holding her in his arms, staring down into her precious little face, would make everything he was enduring, now, all worth it. At that moment, another contraction ripped through his body. "All right, Mr. Gibbs … Push!" The doctor ordered as Jethro bore down on his midsection while clamping down on Tony's hand.

"Ah-oh, _God_!" Jethro growled, gritting his teeth against the pain. The pain ripped through his entire body as he bore down on the muscles in his abdomen as he growled in pain. Tony offered the only support that he could as he held onto his lover's hand.

* * *

"Annie! Annie! Annie!" Abby Sciuto came barreling into the hospital waiting room, bursting with excited energy. "What's going on?! Is Gibbs okay?! Is the baby okay?! Did we miss it?! Did he have the baby?!"

"Abby!" Annie smiled, silencing the young forensic scientist's excited babbling. _Leroy was right … Her charm really is endearing._ She thought to herself. "Relax! Breathe!" She chuckled, lightly. "Everything is fine. Leroy's fine. The baby's fine. Leroy was just in early labor when we got there. They've got him in delivery, now. Tony's with him and he promised he would let us know the _moment_ the baby comes!"

"Oh, yay!" Abby squealed, excitedly, as Auggie came up to stand next to her. "I can't wait to meet her!"

"I think we're all excited." Auggie smiled, in agreement.

"You can say that again!" Tim McGee agreed, holding out coffee for everyone.

"Thank you!" Annie groaned, in relief. "God, I've been needing this!"

"Amen!" Ziva replied, gratefully accepting the proffered beverage.

"Mm!" The group all startled, taking a drink of their coffees, before turning to catch McGee's mischievous grin from behind his own cup.

"What?!" Tim shrugged, innocently. "I just thought we'd all celebrate Gibbs' return home with his favorite coffee!"

As realization and understanding spread across the faces of the agents around him, everybody chuckled at the inside joke. "Very funny, McGee." Abby grinned. "Now, where's my CaffPow?!" She demanded, crossing her arms, playfully.

"Here you go, Abby." Tim smiled, extending the scientist her favorite beverage of choice.

* * *

"We're in the home stretch, now, Mr. Gibbs." The obstetrician smiled, glancing up at the soon-to-be-father. "One more good, strong, push and we're gonna have one more guest at our little party, here."

Watching Jethro's chest heaving with a pure, unadulterated, sheer, exhaustion that he'd never before seen the man lying in the hospital bed display, Tony felt a sense of empathy which only grew with the sound of the man's breathless response. "God, Tony … I don't know … Dunno if I got it in me …"

Tony frantically racked his mind for a way to get through to the older man. Finally, it clicked. "Are you giving up, Marine?!" He demanded, harshly, sounding surprisingly like every drill sergeant in every military-themed movie he'd ever seen. "Are you?!"

As utterly physically and mentally exhausted as he was, Leroy Jethro Gibbs couldn't resist grinning at the younger man's attempt to encourage him. "No, sir." He breathed, tiredly.

"I didn't think so!" Tony barked, just _barely_ managing to fight back the grin that threatened to break out across his face when he saw the fire re-ignite in the older man's eyes. "Now …" He added, his voice softening, gently. "One more push and you can finally hold your little girl in your arms for the first of many, _many_ , times." He smiled, warmly.

Jethro had to smile at that thought. Tony was right. He hadn't come this far to quit, now. The image of his baby girl snuggled into his arms came to the forefront of his mind and he held onto that image for dear life as the final contraction took hold of him. "Oh, _God_!" He growled, gritting his teeth against the pain as he mustered every last ounce of strength he possessed to bear down on his midsection as he pushed his baby girl out, into the world.

* * *

The group of agents around the room had long ago slumped into various chairs around the waiting room. Tim and Ziva had fallen asleep with their heads back, against the wall. Looking to her right, Annie smiled at the sight of Abby asleep on Auggie's shoulder. "You're gonna be in deep, when Leroy finds out." The spy whispered into Auggie's ear so as to prevent waking the forensic scientist. Taking the feigned look of confusion on Auggie's face, Annie smirked as she added. "Don't play dumb with me … You know I've always been able to read you like a book."

Auggie nodded, knowingly. "Yeah … Yeah, I suppose you're right." The tech operative whispered, just as quietly.

"Don't worry." Annie smiled. "Leroy'll approve … Just don't be too surprised if he shows up at either yours or Abby's place, cleaning his sniper rifle after one of your dates." Auggie could practically _hear_ Annie's wink even as he visibly paled at the thought of what Leroy could do to him with that rifle. "Course, that's nothing compared to the coffin that Abby sleeps in." Annie smirked as the befuddled expression taking over her handler's face.

However, Auggie's torment was soon cut short when Tony appeared in the waiting room, smiling uncontrollably. "She's here!" He announced, proudly. "Abigail Rhiannon Gibbs was born at five o'three pm weighing in at eight pounds, six ounces, and measuring nineteen inches long."

The tired operatives all jumped to their feet as they found Tony's smile infectious. "That's fantastic!" Abby squealed. "I can't believe you guys named her after me!" She cooed, flattered.

"That was all Jethro." Tony smiled. "He told me about that decision about a month or so ago and asked me to keep it under my hat until the baby was born. He wanted to surprise you with it."

"Mission accomplished." Abby squealed, clinging to Auggie's side, excitedly.

"How's Leroy doin'?" Annie asked, smiling.

"Baby and father are both doing just fine." Tony smiled, relieved that all of their troubles were finally over and that everyone involved was safe and happy and healthy. "Jethro's sound asleep – he pretty much passed out as soon they took Abby to the nursery."

"That's good." Tim chimed in. "He needs the rest – after everything he's been through – he's damn well earned it."

There was a chorus of agreement as the others all hummed and nodded. "Can we see her?" Ziva questioned, eagerly.

"Yeah, right this way." Tony replied, leading them all down to the nursery to meet the newest addition to their steadily growing extended family. "She's _so_ beautiful." Tony couldn't believe that all of the months of helping Jethro heal from losing Jai and prepare for fatherhood had all been leading up to this moment. He thought he loved the little baby girl even just when he saw her as a picture on an ultrasound screen. But, that was nothing compared to the precious little princess that had just entered the world, minutes ago. Anthony DiNozzo Jr. was full-on head-over-heels in love with that baby girl. And, he wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
** Well, there ya have it, folks. Henry Wilcox is dead. The baby's here. Wow! Hard to believe it. I'm not sure if I'll continue the story or just leave it, here. I'm thinking about a possible sequel story as a sort-of "Where are they now?" kind of deal. Drop me a review if you wanna see the sequel series.

~Skye Coulson


End file.
